Big truck debate: Local police say no to weight gain
My views on trucks always vary depending on whether my car's been spattered with debris from a load without a tarpaulin or if I'm feeling guilty after squeezing into a lane right in front of a trucker who should have honked but didn't.
But when it comes to increasing the weight limit of trucks, I've got to admit I'm swayed by the views of Algonquin Police Chief Russell Laine.
“Increased truck weights will be a detriment to roads and the safety of the driving public,” Laine said.
Congress is considering bills in the Senate and House aimed at upping truck weight limits from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds with an additional axle on interstate highways. If Congress approves the legislation, states have authority to decide whether to enact it individually.
The proposed law is being backed heavily by the agricultural and logging industries.
Laine has seen his share of truck accidents — Algonquin has some of the steeper terrain in the region, and it's also got a plethora of gravel trucks because of nearby quarries.
“There's more potential for rollovers,” Laine warns. With heavier trucks, “maneuverability will be more difficult, as well as the ability to stop.”
He cited an accident a few years ago on Route 31 when a tractor-trailer heading south lost control and slid into oncoming traffic, killing another driver. It was later found the trucker's brakes weren't working.
Then there's the infrastructure issue. The state has spent millions repairing its roads, but there's still a backlog of repairs needed on highways and bridges. Heavier trucks will just acerbate that problem, said Laine, who's traveled to Washington to lobby congressmen about his concerns.
He's not alone. State Sen. and former Elmhurst Police Chief John Millner considers heavier trucks a terrible idea.
“If you add another 17,000 pounds — it's very dangerous,” said Millner, a Carol Stream Republican who has a commercial drivers' license and drives trucks as a volunteer for a local food pantry.
If the brakes aren't well-calibrated, it can take a longer distance to stop a truck. Adding extra weight makes that situation even more hazardous, Millner said.
“If you put the weight limit to 97,000 pounds, you're taking a risk,” he said.
Increasing the size and weight of trucks “can reduce the number of trips needed, reduce crash exposure and lower the amount of fuel needed, which has environmental benefits,” said Darrin Roth, director of highway operations for the American Trucking Association.
Cost-effective trips mean savings for consumers, Roth argued.
Spreading weight over six rather than five axles will minimize highway pavement wear and tear, Roth said, acknowledging that it's a different issue for bridges.
As far as safety goes, “if the brakes are uncalibrated on a five-axle truck versus a six-axle truck, it doesn't make a difference,” he said.
Mid-West Truckers Association members are split on the issue.
“Some in the industry say it's more efficient by allowing trucks to haul more and keep customers happy,” Executive Vice President Don Schaefer said.
“On the other hand, a big hunk of the industry has been through this before (when limits were raised to 80,000) and says it never plays out that way. They say you're asked to buy new equipment to haul more freight and you're not paid to do it.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, a Winfield Republican who sits on the House Transportation Committee, was still reviewing the legislation and hadn't made a decision on it yet.
What's your take on heavier trucks? Drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com.
Gridlock alert
This will not be fun. The Illinois tollway plans to start bridge rehab work at the juncture of I-294 and I-90 after the July Fourth holiday.
The 2011 portion of the two-year project involves rebuilding the ramp taking southbound Tri-State Tollway drivers to the eastbound Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The ramp will close July 6. Drivers will be detoured to I-190, then to southbound Mannheim Road and from there to the eastbound I-190 to merge with eastbound I-90 traffic.
Your voice
Two different readers with views on Metra chimed in this week.
Joan Haase of Des Plaines emailed regarding Quiet Cars, saying “this is wonderful. I wish it was at all times, not just rush hour.”
And Bob Guhr of Rolling Meadows writes of Metra's public relations contract with Culloton Strategies, “this is much too cozy a relationship.”
You should know
According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 95 percent of our region's transportation funds are spent just to maintain and operate roads and transit. Only 5 percent remains to actually improve, modernize or expand the system.
One more thing
I know you know better — this word of caution is for your neighbor. Don't forget when transporting fireworks — even sparklers — to keep them in the car trunk and don't even think about taking them on an airplane this July 4, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned Friday.