As president of the Peace Officers Association of Nevada, I speak on behalf of 36 Nevada law enforcement associations and more than 1,500 law enforcement officers and members — and none of my members wants additional semi-trailer truck configurations unleashed onto Nevada highways.
Unfortunately, though, legislation in Congress is currently being debated that would allow heavier trucks in three states. Not only would this bill run counter to the position held by the Nevada law enforcement community that bigger trucks threaten highway safety, it would fly in the face of common sense.
In Washington, Congress is scheduled to vote on provisions in Appropriation bills that would allow heavier trucks onto interstates in Mississippi, Wisconsin, and our neighbor to the north, Idaho. More specifically, this legislation would allow 129,000-pound trucks on interstates in Idaho — an increase of 23,500 pounds. To put it in perspective, this increase is the same as if we took Idaho’s current 105,500-pound trucks and stacked six average-sized passenger vehicles onto each one.
The worst part is we already have 129,000-pound trucks here in Nevada. Having knowledge of the damage these heavier trucks cause, I cannot, in good conscience, support these types of increase for our neighbors. And frankly, this increase to the north would increase how many of the bigger rigs we see in Nevada.
A piece-meal approach, as is being proposed, is the wrong way to go. Not only does it cause problems for the traveling public, it creates additional burdens on law enforcement who must enforce the laws.
In western states, we have a problem with bigger trucks — you could even call it a habit or dependency. And any time you have a habit or dependency, you run the risk of building up a tolerance.
We need to reset the conversation and remember why the national limit on interstates is 80,000 pounds. And why the majority of states do not allow double- or triple-trailer trucks. Because increasing the weight or length of rucks increase the safety risks.
I know Capitol Hill is a long way from Reno, but our voices should not be diminished for any reason, especially when it comes to highway safety. The U.S. Department of Transportation already concluded years ago that multi-trailer trucks have an 11-percent higher fatal crash rate than single-trailer trucks, and just last year the Department released a report that found gross vehicle weight appears to be tied to higher crash rates. These are the facts, and Congress needs to listen.
We in Nevada need to let our members of Congress know bigger trucks are not an answer for anything – they only create greater threats to our safety. Let Senators Reid and Heller and all of our representatives in Washington to vote NO on bigger trucks.