The agricultural and forestry trucking company won a major victory this week in the closing minutes of Georgia’s 2023 legislative session with the passage of legislation increasing its cargo-carrying capacity.
The dispute between some lawmakers in the House and Senate over increasing the size of truckloads allowed on Georgia state and local roads House bill 189 was eventually resolved by a joint committee of lawmakers. The compromise came just in time for the bill to meet the 40-day deadline for bills to settle both chambers. Eventually, attention will turn to finding a long-term solution to the extensive funding needed to maintain the same state roads and bridges that deteriorate more rapidly when massive tractor trailers bounce over them.
Under the new rules, trucks hauling food, timber and other agricultural and forestry goods can weigh up to 88,000 pounds. It’s a £4,000 increase on the state’s peak, which was recently withdrawn after a three-year moratorium that allowed lorry drivers to haul some of the state’s best farm produce up to £95,000 without the risk of a fine.
The final version includes an expiration date of July 1, 2025. It also gives local police the power to enforce the law and cite trucks that exceed the legal limit. But local officials can’t use money from fines to buy truck scales or for road maintenance. Instead, the legislation requires that the money be sent to the state.
The Senate passed the truck weight bill by a vote of 37 to 16 just after midnight on Thursday, minutes after a closer 95 to 75 passage in the House of Representatives chamber.
Rep. Teri Anuelwicz, a Smyrna Democrat, said while the law allows local police to issue subpoenas on violators, it also unfairly requires the fines to be sent to the state.
“This is simply toothless legislation designed to foster a culture of forgiveness over permission when it comes to enforcing these truck weights,” she said as lawmakers cast their ballots.
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Greg Dolezal said his committee has insisted on an expiration date to ensure legitimate parties work together to fill the gap of billions of dollars needed to repair, repair and rebuild the roads are required in Georgia.
The compromise truck weight plan was recommended by a conference committee of six House and Senate lawmakers who met on Wednesday to settle disagreements between the chambers. The measure also limits the distance the heavier-loaded trucks can travel to within a 150-mile radius of where the trailers are loaded.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, lumberjacks and farmers in Georgia have welcomed Gov. Brian Kemp’s orders for larger loads, which they say have provided a lifeline for businesses by saving significant transportation costs.
The push to allow heavier truck loads has met with strong opposition as vehicles are more likely to tip over and are more difficult to brake, putting passenger cars at risk.
Georgia Department of Transportation officials said the original bill Locking in commercial vehicles of all kinds was a ruthless plan. The agency estimated that the number of bridges that trucks carrying excess loads would not be allowed to cross would be doubled.
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