Senate passes interstate heavy-trucks bill, praises Congress

The Idaho Senate just concluded a debate in which it uncharacteristically heaped praise on Congress. The occasion was SB 1229 , the bill allowing trucks weighing up to 129,000 pounds to run on Idaho interstates, as Congress recently permitted. “This is unique legislation. Rather than taking power away from the states, this federal legislation enacted last December returns power to the states,” Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, told the Senate, adding, “Let me repeat that.”

Brackett said the congressional action was “a long time coming.” Congress in 1991 froze truck weight limits on interstates at their then-current levels; that put Idaho at 105,500 pounds, though Montana, Utah and Nevada were at 129,000. “It created a patchwork of different weights across the nation,” Brackett said. “Since 1991, the only way to increase the weight of trucks on the interstate system is to request that Congress amend the federal law. … Many states have requested changes in the law, some successful and others not. Idaho is one of a handful of states that’s successfully gotten Congress to change the law.”

Brackett commended Idaho’s congressional delegation, “Especially Congressman (Mike) Simpson,” and said, “It has been a long-term effort and a real team effort.”

Stirring controversy in recent years, Idaho lawmakers have authorized trucks weighing up to 129,000 pounds on more and more state and local routes, but they still weren’t allowed on interstate freeways.

Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, said, “A few years ago I couldn’t support this on state routes. I would’ve had a lot more comfort with that bill if this one had come first. I think this is a step in the right direction, and I’ll be supporting it.”

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said she’s conflicted about the bill, and disclosed a conflict of interest due to her “day job” with the Associated Logging Contractors, who are involved in trucking. “It actually would be better to have these trucks on the federal highways, which are built to a higher standard and have more room, shoulders, chain-up areas and escape ramps and the like,” Keough said. “So in that regard it’s good. … The conflict comes for me in that we still have a way to go in addressing safety issues, as was most recently evidenced by a proposal on state routes in the north, where shoulders were reported to be from 1 to 5 feet, but they actually were not there at all.” She added, “Recently in a subcommittee meeting of the 129 Committee of the Idaho Transportation Department, ISP reported … about 20 percent of the trucks that they stop in northern Idaho, primarily at the Lewiston port, were put out of service for safety issues. So … I would say that we have a ways to go in making sure that our trucks are operating safely.”

Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, said his wife has been in “more than one vehicle accident where she was hit by a semi,” to the point that she’ll no longer drive on the freeway and she gets nervous whenever he’s driving and passes a truck. He said higher truck weights mean more freight can be hauled with fewer trucks. “We get up to one of every five trucks off the roads,” he said. “This is something that helps our citizens. It doesn’t just help move loads, it helps make our citizens safer.”

Sen. Kelly Anthon, R-Burley, spoke in favor of the bill. “It brings us more in line with our sister states, and I think will support better interstate commerce,” he said. “This is an important part of our agricultural economy. And more particularly, it supports our sugar beet industry.”

Sen. Maryanne Jordan, D-Boise, said she would support the bill but for one “anomaly” – that it included among interstate routes the I-184 Connector in Boise. “The Connector is not a through interstate – it’s essentially a four-mile-long off-ramp,” she said. “We have grave concern in our district that we’re going to be bringing trucks onto roads that are not able to handle those.”

The Senate voted 31-3 in favor of SB 1229, which moves it to the House side. It needs passage there plus the governor’s signature to become law; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com.