Would higher truck weight limits help Georgia? A group of major Georgia trucking companies maintains that raising weight limits for big rigs, from the current 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds, would be good for the state’s environment and its economy.
The coalition — including some of Georgia’s largest shippers, such as Georgia-Pacific, International Paper, and Coca-Cola — wants lawmakers to increase the truck weight limits on highways in the state. It notes that big rigs often reach their weight limits before the trailers are full, so permitting heavier loads would decrease traffic as well as truck emissions.
Georgia state transportation board chairman Rudy Bowen observed that heavier truck loads would be harder on roads and bridges, at a time when fewer funds are available to make repairs. The board is gathering information to make a recommendation to state lawmakers.
