Small-business truckers across the United States are speaking out against a provision in the proposed highway bill that would increase truck size and weight limits. Those increases, included in a draft legislation released by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, would not only compromise highway safety and infrastructure, but also lead to significant new cost increases for 90 percent of the trucking industry which is made up of small-business truckers.

Members of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, OOIDA, the largest trade organization that represents the rights of professional truck drivers, are reaching out to lawmakers asking them to be wary of big business interests who propose raising truck weight limits from 80,000 lbs to at least 97,000 lbs and increasing the use of longer-combination vehicles (LCVs).

“Truck drivers know firsthand that heavier and longer trucks are much harder to maneuver and put additional stress on our already deteriorating highways and bridges,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA Executive Vice President.

OOIDA contends that in many situations the proposed change in law – which is designed solely to profit big business at the expense of highway safety and small businesses – will require a small-business trucker to spend up to $100,000 on new equipment.

“When choosing between a trucker bringing home $40,000 a year on average and a bailout for multibillion- dollar corporations, I hope Congress will make the right decision and side with small-business truckers,” added Spencer.