Trucking industry sneaking heavier-truck bill through Congress

The trucking industry already managed to get a "pilot program" to let 100,000 pound trucks travel on highways in Maine and Vermont (can you say "Nafta highway"?). Now, just as Congress is getting ready to adjourn, they're trying to sneak through an amendment that would make the 100,000-pound limit permanent in those states. And you know that's just the camel's nose under the tent.

It's a terrible idea. The real unemployment rate is somewhere around 17 percent (some say it's closer to 22 percent) and our infrastructure is on the verge of collapse. But most important, bigger, heavier trucks are dangerous. So let's eliminate jobs, since four heavy trucks can carry the same amount as five normal trucks. Let's further destroy our roads and bridges. And let's promote more highway deaths.

General President Hoffa has told Congress what he thinks of heavier trucks:

Lifting truck weight and size limits would turn big rigs into time bombs.

Our good friend Jackie Gillan,  vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said lifting the weight limits would be like loosening airplane-safety standards after a bunch of airline crashes.