* Current limits put Minnesota at a competitive disadvantage
-- As our region’s economy grows, the trucking economy grows with it. Dedicated men and women crisscross Minnesota every day, putting in countless miles to move the goods that mean job growth here and nationwide... But Minnesota, by law, is at a competitive disadvantage with all four of our bordering states: Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas. Minnesota is, in fact, alone among Midwestern states with its ultra-restrictive laws covering truck weights. While trucks in Minnesota are limited to a maximum load of 80,000 pounds, truckers in some other nearby states can haul literally twice as much product... This costs Minnesota’s economy dearly, as trucks bound for our state sometimes have to stop at the border to lighten their loads... So the state Legislature each year considers exceptions and exemptions and special provisions for individual industries and certain goods — timber and agricultural products, most notably. While these efforts are noble by nature, the result is a patchwork of contradictory and confusing laws governing how much of which products can be hauled in various parts of the state... By giving local and state officials full discretion to grant annual permits for trucks to operate on roads within their jurisdiction, the state could garner increased permit revenue and use those resources for much-needed inspection of roads and bridges and better signage to help make our roads safer... The end result would be a much-needed boost to the Minnesota economy. And the driving public wouldn’t see any larger trucks on their safer roads, just fewer trucks with more efficient loads... (Photo: A truck crosses over the Lester River bridge in January. Lawmakers and others are debating a proposal to increase Minnesota’s weight limits on trucks) - Duluth, MINN, USA - Duluth News Tribune, by Paul Hawkinson -Feb 28, 2015
* Wiscosin - Truckers: There's no need for speed
-- Central Wisconsin-area trucking firms and drivers aren't too eager to see the passage of a bill to increase the speed limit in some parts of the state to 70 mph... The bill would allow the state Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit in approved areas. State Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, has proposed an amendment to set a lower speed for commercial vehicles... The Assembly transportation committee conducted a hearing where there was little opposition to the bill. The committee is expected to vote on the bill in March...
(Photo: Megan McCormick/Central Wisconsin Sunday - CWS Speed Limit. A semi-trailer heads west on Highway 10 outside of Marshfield on Feb. 19) - Marshfield, WIS, USA -The News-Herald, by Liz Welter -February 28, 2015Labels: speed limits, weight limits
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