NTTC Priority Issue Scheduled for Congressional Debate Next Week 

On May 17, Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1) announced the introduction of four bills to address supply chain shortcomings. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, these bills are intended components of a broad supply chain package being developed by the Committee and marked up on May 23rd.

One of the four bills being considered is H.R. 3318, also known as the Dry Bulk Weight Tolerance Act. The legislation has bipartisan support, being cosponsored by Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24). This common-sense bill, if passed, will authorize a 10% dry bulk weight tolerance on tandem-axles. Thus, the maximum weight on any tandem-axle trailer would increase to 37,400 lbs. while leaving the maximum laden vehicle weight untouched at 80,000 lbs. to account for shifting contents during transit.

NTTC President & CEO Ryan Streblow said, “NTTC applauds the House of Representatives, particularly Congressman Crawford as Sponsor and Congressman Carbajal as Cosponsor, on the introduction of H.R. 3318 to establish an axle weight variance for dry bulk transportation. Today’s dry bulk commercial vehicles are underfilled to account for content shift during transit, which means less efficiency, more trucks on the road adding highway wear and tear, and increased costs to the American people. Thanks to H.R. 3318, a bipartisan and common-sense solution, tank trucks hauling essential goods, like flour and grain, can be granted an axle weight variance to maximize their loads while remaining within current federal weight guidelines. NTTC is grateful for this initiative, as the American public will benefit from a more efficient transportation system.”

If enacted into law, the effort would be a tremendous victory for NTTC, whose Executive Committee has identified the issue as amongst its top legislative priorities for 2023. More importantly, the many benefits of a more efficient transportation system represent a win for the greater American public.