Blumenthal Statement On DOT Draft Truck Size and Weight Study

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement today after the Department of Transportation (DOT) released the draft results of its study on the impact of big trucks on our nation’s roads and highways:

“It’s simply common sense that if we allow bigger, heavier trucks we’ll see more tragic deaths and injuries and greater damage to our already crumbling roads and highways.  A long list of victims, law enforcement officials, safety advocates, labor leaders and even some trucking industry experts have fought with me to prevent larger commercial vehicles from threatening the lives of drivers and motorists – and we need to heed their call.  I’m reassured that DOT finds there should be “no changes” to the current limits governing the size and weight of trucks, but I remain concerned that DOT has allowed conflicts of interest and flawed methodology to permeate parts of the research process.  This draft study should nonetheless help push back efforts by some in Congress to help the trucking industry’s bottom line while sacrificing safety.  I urge everyone concerned to publicly comment on the draft document so the final product reflects what we all know:  bigger trucks mean bigger dangers.”

In March, Blumenthal sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in which they cited the questionable methodology and flawed data used in previous studies on the impact of truck weight on roads, as well as possible conflicts of interest in the selection of the current study’s contractor. The letter was co-signed by Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Congressmen James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).

Blumenthal initially expressed his concern with the DOT’s truck weight and size study in April 2014 in a letter to Secretary Foxx.