By KEITH LAING – THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, May 25, 2010……….Opponents of increasing the amount of weight that trucks can carry on Florida roads are hoping a provision tucked into a transportation bill will tip the scales in favor of a veto from Gov. Charlie Crist.
The bill (HB 1271) would allow for an increase in the maximum weight of trucks from 80,000 pounds to 88,000 pounds. That kind of increase in load would dramatically increase the amount of damage to the roads – and with no corresponding increase in fees to pay to fix that damage – Florida Coalition for Safe Highways spokesman Curtis Sloan told the News Service of Florida.
“You’re not changing anything about the truck, but you’re adding extra weight that will impact its ability to slow down (and) its ability to speed up,” he said. “That changes the way we as drivers react. It changes damage it does to the road, and really does a number on our bridges.”
The trucking industry supports the measure.
Right now, the fees and taxes that trucking companies pay to the state take care of about 80 percent of the maintenance and repairs to roadways that crumble under those heavy weights. Up the truck weights and only about half of that damage would be paid for, Sloan said.
The language was attached to something of an omnibus transportation bill that also included provisions that require tickets for highway toll violations be mailed first-class and authorizes a pair of central Florida transportation authorities to issue bonds.
Sloan acknowledged the other provisions of the bill could cause problems garnering a veto, even from a governor who has shown an increased willingness to buck legislative leaders. But he said the risk from allowing heavier trucks on the road is too great.
“As with any bill this large, there are probably some positive things in it somewhere,” he said. But, “allowing heavier trucks on state roads without any additional requirements for axles or drivers seems like we’re setting ourselves up for a disaster. We’ve seen an arms race over last decade in terms of truck size and if we’re not careful we’ll have doubles and triples moving across the country.”
The trucking industry supports the heavier allowances.
Matt Ubben, spokesman for the Florida Trucking Association recently told the Orlando Business Journal that allowing for more weight allows for fewer truck trips, which means less fuel, less driving time and less truck maintenance. Ubben also said that fatalities have dropped because of the industry’s stress on safety.
The industry has also noted that times are tight – and keeping trucking companies in business is a priority in this economy.
Sloan said that his organization, which is part of a larger national Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, has gotten no indication from Crist’s office that the governor is considering vetoing the measure. But he said that in this unpredictable election year that has seen Crist leave the Republican Party he has called home for years, anything is possible.
“I know it’s part of large bill many people have stake in,” Sloan said. “There’s talk of special session, it may make sense to re-pass the bill without the provision.” Crist has until June 5 to decide what to do with the measure.
A spokesman for Crist did not immediately return calls from the News Service about bill Tuesday.
Todd Soard, president of Florida Association of Professional EMTs and Paramedics, which is a member of the Florida Coalition for Safe Highways, agreed that the heavier trucks would place too much strain on Florida roads.
“One of our biggest concerns is…the extreme weight of trucks, the personal safety on those on the highways and the damage it can do the roads,” Soard said Tuesday. “We have hundreds and hundreds of bridges around the state that are ill-repaired. A lot of our bridges are falling apart, and there’s no money to repair now, but we’re going to allow more damage?”
Soard said if Crist signs the transportation bill including the increased truck weights, the groups will try to repeal it next year.