Potato shippers rally for higher truck weight limits

The potato industry is backing a bill that would change the 20 year-old national truck weight restriction from a maximum of 80,000 pounds up to 97,000 pounds, which could allow them to ship 19% more potatoes at the same cost.

Potato grower-shippers and associations, along with other produce industry members, are pushing for a decision this year to allow states to regulate their own truck weight restrictions up to the 97,000 mark, if a sixth axle is present on the 53-foot truck. The groups face opposition from the Teamsters Union and others who site safety and roadway wear as their biggest concerns with a higher weight limit.

A group of supporting companies and associations, called the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, formed in late 2008. Among its members are the potato commissions from Idaho, Washington and Oregon, all off which have weight limits above 80,000 pounds in their own states.