Anyone who’s driven alongside a fully loaded tractor-trailer on Interstate 81 knows the tension that can come with sharing the road with such massive and threatening vehicles. Now imagine if those trucks were even longer and even heavier.
For most drivers in Pennsylvania, that dangerous idea is unsettling.
That’s exactly what’s on the table in Congress right now. Lawmakers are considering legislation that would increase the maximum allowable weight of semi-trucks from the long-standing federal limit of 80,000 pounds up to 91,000 pounds.
At the same time, special interests are pushing for longer double-trailer configurations that stretch 91 feet, which is equivalent to an eight-story building turned on its side. If you thought a fully loaded single-trailer truck is scary to drive next to, wait until you experience a fully unloaded twin-trailer truck swinging back and forth on a windy day.
As police chiefs in two communities directly impacted by truck traffic — Plains Township and Jenkins Township — we’re sounding the alarm.
These proposals would bring more danger to our roads and more strain to our infrastructure. They would also impose steep costs on local taxpayers, who would be left to deal with the consequences.
Both of our townships sit near a critical crossroads of Pennsylvania’s transportation network. Interstates 81 and 476 bring nonstop truck traffic from across the commonwealth and beyond to our area and local streets.
We understand the importance of commercial trucking to our economy, but we also see the reality on the ground. Trucks don’t just stick to the interstates. They take local roads to make deliveries, refuel, stop for food, and reroute around congestion. Our neighborhoods, school zones, and main streets are all affected.
The infrastructure costs alone should be enough to give Congress pause. Pennsylvania already has the second-highest number of poor bridges in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks conducted a bridge impact study to better understand the local cost implications if Congress were to increase truck size and weight limits. In Pennsylvania alone, the findings were alarming: over 1,000 local bridges would be put at risk of needing replacement, with an estimated cost of more than $1.3 billion to taxpayers.
But our primary concern is safety.
Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows there were 7,658 large-truck crashes in Pennsylvania in 2022. Tragically, 185 people lost their lives in those crashes. We know from experience that heavier trucks have longer stopping distances, more frequent brake issues, and are harder to control in emergencies. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s own research found that trucks weighing 91,000 pounds had a 47 percent higher crash rate when tested in Washington state.
As first responders, we’re the ones called when those crashes happen. We see the aftermath. We manage the chaos. And too often, we have to deliver tragic news to families. We also see how these incidents tie up our limited public safety resources, pulling officers away from neighborhoods and emergencies to respond to major crashes that could have been prevented.
Organizations like the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association have already expressed their opposition to allowing bigger trucks on the roads — and we join them. The risks are simply too high.
This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It’s a matter of common sense and community safety. We urge Congress to put the brakes on proposals that would make trucks even bigger and heavier. Our roads, our residents, and our first responders deserve better.