More cargo, more problems? Why retired suburban police chief is leading fight against heavier trucks

To former Buffalo Grove and Cary Police Chief Steve Casstevens, the formula is obvious: bigger, fuller and heavier trucks equal bigger, more and worse crashes.

That’s why the retired law enforcement leader has found a new role helping to lead the fight against proposals before Congress allowing more densely packed semis on federal highways.

“There’s never been a study by anyone saying higher weights are safer,” said Casstevens, who also served as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “Common sense, engineers and truck drivers will tell you higher weights mean more crashes. Everything tells us it’s a bad idea.”

Casstevens was on Capitol Hill last week lobbying against the proposals on behalf of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks. More than two dozen other organizations have joined in the opposition, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sheriffs’ Association, AAA, U.S. Conference of Mayors, American Public Works Association and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

For them, the most concerning proposal would create a 10-year pilot program under which states could allow trucks weighing up to 91,000 pounds, up from the current 80,000-pound max. A similar proposal stalled in Congress last year, but Casstevens expects it to reemerge during negotiations on the next Surface Transportation Authorization bill.

“The proposal essentially turns motorists into guinea pigs,” he told us this week. “Let’s see how many more people die, how many more are seriously injured for the next 10 years.”

Not everyone agrees, of course. Among those supporting heavier trucks are shipping companies and major retailers.

Appearing before a Congressional committee earlier this year on behalf of the Shippers Coalition and trucking firm CRH Transportation, Ryan Lindsey told representatives the weight increase would create a more efficient and safer system of transporting goods.

Right now, Lindsey told the committee, the 80,000-pound limit prevents trucks from being filled to capacity, creating the need for more trucks and more trips.

Heavier loads “means fewer trucks on the road and less miles in the system than otherwise would be the case,” Lindsey added. “Fewer miles not only allow for the more efficient movement of goods, but it also means less exposure and more safety.”

But Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, countered that allowing bigger and heavier trucks would benefit only shippers and a handful of large trucking companies, to the detriment of safety and small trucking firms.

“Increasing size and weight is all cost and no benefit for truckers,” he testified.

Road impact

Heavier trucks aren’t just a safety issue, Casstevens told us. They’ll cause more wear and tear on roads and bridges, costing the public billions in infrastructure expenses.

According to the CABT, a recent report found that 68,000 bridges nationwide are not rated to safely handle 91,000-pound trucks. Replacing them would cost $78.7 billion, the organization reports.

In Illinois, the cost to replace at-risk bridges would be about $1.4 billion, Casstevens said.

And while the bill on paper would limit the heavier trucks to federal roads like interstates and other major highways, Casstevens noted that trucks are allowed to travel up to five miles off those routes for pickups, deliveries, fuel and other services.

“I’ve never seen a truck pulled over along I-90 to load or unload,” he noted.

What’s next?

Especially in the midst of a government shutdown, there’s nothing happening today in Washington on these proposals.

That’ll likely come next year, when lawmakers begin work on the next Surface Transportation Reauthorization, a multiyear plan to fund road construction, public transit and other transportation projects. The current bill, passed in 2021 as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, expires in September 2026.

No more language barrier

When Batavia police officers get their next body cameras, they will be outfitted with a nifty feature: language translation.

The Axon-brand cameras will be able to detect what language a person is speaking and then translate the conversation. About 50 languages are detectable now, according to a presentation Police Chief Eric Blowers gave the city council last week, as aldermen prepared to vote on the purchase.

Officers can also manually choose a language if they recognize what they’re hearing.

It should make for more-efficient discourse, instead of having to use a cellphone app such as Google Translate, call for another officer who speaks the language or use a language line.

“It will really improve our ability to communicate with people, while simultaneously improving officer safety because we don't have to use a cellphone or other device where we have to look down (at the device),” Blowers said. “We'll be able to keep our eyes up looking at our surroundings around us.”

Officers will start using the new cameras in March, after the department’s contract for its current cameras ends.

You can see a video of how it works on Axon.com, at axon.com/products/real-time-translation.

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