Bigger trucks good for consumers
The following is a Counterpoint:
By Andy Ellen
I read with interest the editorial, “Smaller trucks, safer roads” (June 19), which seeks to tarnish the N.C. Senate’s unanimous 47-0 vote on Senate Bill 1695 to allow the industry standard 53-foot trailers on more North Carolina roads.
The N.C. Senate should be commended for recognizing that without SB 1695, rural North Carolina will continue to be locked out of economic prosperity because 70 percent of goods move via trucks.
Under current law, there are some North Carolina counties that do not have a single road that the 53-foot trailer is permitted to use. Groceries do not magically appear on the shelves in rural areas, and no company is going to locate a manufacturing facility or a distribution center in an area of North Carolina where they cannot transport their products.
As I read the News & Record’s viewpoint, I wondered if any member of the editorial staff had actually read the language of SB 1695. The authority to determine which roads should not be used by the 53-foot trailer does not rest with a legislative committee as the News & Record has inaccurately stated, but rather only requires that the Department of Transportation consult with a committee. In other words, the final authority resides with DOT, which will certainly consult with the Highway Patrol.
Proponents of SB 1695 have acknowledged, since the bill was introduced, that there are some mountain roads that will need to be restricted, and yet the News & Record seems to ignore this point. What the News & Record also continues to ignore is that not every North Carolinian lives within three miles of an interstate. SB 1695 is good for consumers, good for rural North Carolina and good for the environment.
The writer is general counsel, North Carolina Retail Merchants Association in Raleigh.
Comments (1)
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If the NCRMA had their way I'm sure all trailers would soon be 100' in length but why is it most retail merchants still have loading docks built to accomodate 40' trailers rather than the industry standard of 53'?
And it should also be made known that shippers and not trucking companies are the driving force behind bigger trailers.
As a truck driver of 32 years with a perfect driving record, a former NC DMV Class A Drivers License Examiner and one who has trained thousands of truck drivers I'd like to let it be known that trailers became unsafe when the law allowed them to exceed 45' in trailer length, 55' overall length (truck and trailer combined) and 73,280 lb weight limits.
Posted on July 1, 2008 5:40 PM