Analysis * USA - Bigger trucks would cost more than they would save

US Trucking Industry Pushes For Heavier Trucks On Roads

New York,NY,USA -Gerson Lehman Group, by Toby Kolstad -November 23, 2010: ...  Hardly anyone disputes the fact that bigger truckloads will do more damage to the nation’s highways than loads limited to 80,000lbs...   The proposed increase in the maximum heavy truck permit fee from $550 to $800, a 45.5% increase compared to the 25% increase in truck weights, gives tacit recognition to this problem without addressing past underpayments. Many of the infrastructure problems the nation is facing today are related to the damage heavy trucks have done in the past, along with the underfunding of highway maintenance programs... The trucking industry is expecting to suffer a capacity problem related to the full enforcement of the Highway Administration’s CSA 2010. Increasing the weight limit on trucks would go a long way in offsetting these new safety regulations. Some shippers who are worried about their logistical support from this industry may even endorse the idea of bigger trucks... The teamsters oppose the idea because of safety, by they could be, and probably will be bought off by higher wages. The latter may even be necessary for the trucking companies to attract enough drivers who can comply with CSA 2101...