3 ms·

I don't know if this excuse holds water. If 28 disparate states with different freight profiles can pull it off, surely the US can too. It's all about will.

by welanes 10y ago

tombrossman 10y ago
I don't think it's a question of willpower. The contiguous US is 48 states, each with the autonomy to calculate and set max axle weight / distance rules and many do. Sliding tandem axles under a 53-foot trailer are not something you just re-architect overnight. The span under the trailer behind the rear drive axle(s) and the forward trailer axle is much longer than you find on European trucks. That means you need a much longer underride guard. You also have to convince trucking company execs that all that extra weight is a good thing even though they know it's cheaper to pay the occasional settlement after a gruesome accident. Also, putting the trailer axles further forward to shorten the gap is not possible until Indiana changes their minimum axle length regulation (40 feet trailer kingpin to rear axle centerline) because I believe that while they are the only state to have such a rule, you can't do much interstate commerce with a fleet of trucks and avoid travelling through that state with its central location. Trucking in the US is massively regulated and bureaucratic and you are going to need a lot more than will to get it to change. I'd love to see safer trucks too but I am not optimistic about seeing underride guards in the US anytime soon.
- darklajid 10y ago
  Given all the EU bashing recently: That's something I really like. We share the driving licenses (classes, as in 'B' for cars) even. You're only touching axle weight and distance, but I wonder if the max length (truck + trailer) is clearly defined? Are you allowed to have more than one trailer (here: Nope unless you're driving a tractor most likely)? I have a BCE ('40 tonnes', biggest you can get here) license, although it is currently inactive¹. Trucks continue to amaze me and I'd like to understand how different the world is over there. ①: Truck licenses have a renewal date here in DE. For people far above my age (my dad) it's something like "Every five years after you're 60" or something like that. For me it was "Every 5 years" from the get go and I haven't renewed it for quite some time. I still could get it back, but would need to visit a doctor (general health), optometrist (field of view test) and maybe redo a first aid course.
qrendel 10y ago
"Will" in this case, though, is basically a euphemism for "cost of (retro)fitting trucks and loading docks with guardrails" vs "cost of lives lost by failing to do so." I'm not sure how those two numbers would compare.

I don't know if this excuse holds water. If 28 disparate states with different freight profiles can pull it off, surely the US can too. It's all about will.

by welanes 10y ago

I don't know if this excuse holds water. If 28 disparate states with different freight profiles can pull it off, surely the US can too. It's all about will.

tombrossman 10y ago

I don't think it's a question of willpower. The contiguous US is 48 states, each with the autonomy to calculate and set max axle weight / distance rules and many do. Sliding tandem axles under a 53-foot trailer are not something you just re-architect overnight. The span under the trailer behind the rear drive axle(s) and the forward trailer axle is much longer than you find on European trucks. That means you need a much longer underride guard. You also have to convince trucking company execs that all that extra weight is a good thing even though they know it's cheaper to pay the occasional settlement after a gruesome accident. Also, putting the trailer axles further forward to shorten the gap is not possible until Indiana changes their minimum axle length regulation (40 feet trailer kingpin to rear axle centerline) because I believe that while they are the only state to have such a rule, you can't do much interstate commerce with a fleet of trucks and avoid travelling through that state with its central location. Trucking in the US is massively regulated and bureaucratic and you are going to need a lot more than will to get it to change. I'd love to see safer trucks too but I am not optimistic about seeing underride guards in the US anytime soon.

darklajid 10y ago
Given all the EU bashing recently: That's something I really like. We share the driving licenses (classes, as in 'B' for cars) even. You're only touching axle weight and distance, but I wonder if the max length (truck + trailer) is clearly defined? Are you allowed to have more than one trailer (here: Nope unless you're driving a tractor most likely)? I have a BCE ('40 tonnes', biggest you can get here) license, although it is currently inactive¹. Trucks continue to amaze me and I'd like to understand how different the world is over there. ①: Truck licenses have a renewal date here in DE. For people far above my age (my dad) it's something like "Every five years after you're 60" or something like that. For me it was "Every 5 years" from the get go and I haven't renewed it for quite some time. I still could get it back, but would need to visit a doctor (general health), optometrist (field of view test) and maybe redo a first aid course.

qrendel 10y ago

"Will" in this case, though, is basically a euphemism for "cost of (retro)fitting trucks and loading docks with guardrails" vs "cost of lives lost by failing to do so." I'm not sure how those two numbers would compare.