Video: Trucker Says State’s Infrastructure Not Ready For Longer Trailers

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) –  Mississippi is at the center of a debate on Capitol Hill that could force states to allow larger double trailer trucks on roads.

WCBI’s Allie Martin explains the proposal and talks with the manager of a local trucking company who has concerns about the legislation.

Nearly all employees at Bud Coley Trucking are getting trained on a new electronic log system.

“Safety is every trucking company’s number one issue,” said Brad Coley, operations manager for Bud Coley Trucking.

He says safety concerns are the primary reasons he is not in favor of a proposal that would allow trucks nationwide to pull two 33 foot trailers, known as “double 33s.”

That proposal is part of a highway funding bill that recently made it out of the appropriations committee, chaired by Senator Thad Cochran.

The legislation is supported by companies such as FedEx and UPS, which ship lightweight consumer goods.  They claim larger trailers would be more efficient and would mean fewer trucks on the road, along with less fuel consumption.

But Coley believes the roads and highways in the state are not ready for double trailers.

“Increasing your length will eventually want to increase weight. Personally, I don’t think that would be good for us because our road and infrastructure is not built for it,” Coley said.

Mississippi is one of 39 states prohibiting the bigger trailers. Coley doesn’t believe the double rigs should be allowed, until the state’s roads and bridges are better maintained.

“Down the road, if we could build it up, I could see use for it and needs, but right now, personally, I don’t,” he said.

The Mississippi Trucking Association is also opposed to increasing size or weight limits in tractor trailer combinations.

That provision  will now go to the House and eventually the Senate.