june 8, 2010 aashto scoht annual meeting. what i’m not the “i hate big trucks guy” not...
TRANSCRIPT
COALITION AGAINST BIGGER
TRUCKS
June 8, 2010
AASHTO SCOHT Annual Meeting
What I’m NotWhat I’m Not
The “I hate big trucks guy”Not anti-truck or even anti-big truck
Engineer – pavement, bridge, or other Railroad spokesperson Wildcat or Tiger Indifferent
To industry – shippers or truckingTo your challenge
Coalition Against Bigger TrucksCoalition Against Bigger Trucks
National grassroots non-profit 100+ campaigns, nearly 20 years Expected & unexpected allies
Law enforcement & safety groupsTruck drivers & independent owner-operatorsAAA clubsState & local elected officialsEnvironmental, public interest, & taxpayer
groups
More Than MaineMore Than Maine
97,000 pounds, 6 axles nationwide at state option (HR 1799)
Pilot programs in Maine and Vermont 129,000 pound LCVs in Idaho (S. 1059
& S. 398) 96,000 pound, 6- or 7-axle in Iowa 88,000 pounds, 5-axle in Florida LCV resolutions in Colorado, Idaho
Issues with TSW IncreasesIssues with TSW Increases
Safety Infrastructure damage
PavementBridges
Underpayment Energy & environment
Issue: SafetyIssue: Safety
Longstanding, significant concernsRolloverOff-trackingBrakingCrash severitySystems effects
Enforcement challengesTSW increase would raise the bar
Ongoing need for more complete data
Issue: Infrastructure DamageIssue: Infrastructure Damage
Increased pavement damage Bridges
Half of NHS bridges >40 years old25% of US bridges are deficient “According to FHWA, it would cost $140 billion in
2006 dollars to immediately repair every bridge that is deficient in the country” (AASHTO, 2008)
Ongoing need for more complete data○ LTBP funded by SAFETEA:LU at 1/4 requested
amount (and is “long-term”)
Bridges & SETABridges & SETA 2000 DOT Study estimated $50-$63 billion
bridge costs for NAFTA scenario H.R. 1799 includes HVUT increase, but it’s
inadequateAt most, HVUT would generate ≈$500 million
per year Posting violation rate as low as 2.5%
results in significant loss in reliability (ASCE, 2005)If posting not strictly enforced, reliability benefits
of posting can almost vanish (ASCE, 2001)
Issue: UnderpaymentIssue: Underpayment
Premise: vehicles should pay for the damage attributable to their operations
Federal cost allocation study showed significant heavy truck underpayment
Full Cost Recovery ($/mile)Full Cost Recovery ($/mile)
Full Cost Recovery ($/gallon)Full Cost Recovery ($/gallon)
80K, 5-axle v. 97K, 6-axle ($/mile)80K, 5-axle v. 97K, 6-axle ($/mile)
80K, 5-axle v. 97K, 6-axle ($/gallon)80K, 5-axle v. 97K, 6-axle ($/gallon)
Issue: EnvironmentIssue: Environment
Bigger trucks use more fuel, emit more pollutants
Bigger trucks don’t mean fewer trucksATRI only refers to fully-loaded trucksATRI looks mainly at highway operations ATRI doesn’t contemplate rail diversion
Bigger Trucks ≠ Fewer TrucksBigger Trucks ≠ Fewer Trucks
Rail DiversionRail Diversion
US DOT7% loss of car miles50% loss in contribution
TTX25% of intermodal and carload traffic
Martland44% short line merchandise traffic17% overall short line traffic
Rail DiversionRail Diversion Montreal, Maine, & Atlantic Railway
Predominantly served forest products industry
Not profitable, filed for abandonment San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad
CO now allows110K, 7-axle on state roads20% of bulk cargo diverted to highways
Brownsville & Rio Grande Int’l RailroadTX allows heavier trucks between Mexican
border and Port of BrownsvilleLost nearly all of southbound traffic
SHIPA (H.R. 1618 / S. 779)SHIPA (H.R. 1618 / S. 779)
Close permitting loopholes Extend weight freeze to NHS Extend LCV freeze to NHS Freeze trailer length at 53 feet NO ROLLBACKS Develop a model fine system
Federal Legislative SituationFederal Legislative Situation
Conflicting stand-alone bills Unlikely to be addressed outside of
reauthorization Requests to extend pilot projects have
been submitted to Appropriations Committees
Thank you