Twin 33-foot trailer trucks: Does federal law allow for them?
Not yet.
That is the answer to the above-posed headline question — at least as of today.
As noted in a recent media piece discussing twin 33-foot trailer trucks, these true behemoths of the road are not currently approved for nationwide use on the country’s freeways and interstates.
That could be changing, though, with a U.S. Senate committee recently passing an amendment that would require all states across the county to permit the large commercial trucks to on major roadways.
The U.S. Department of Transportation weighed in with strong opinions when the committee was evaluating 33-footers, stating that more information regarding safety questions surrounding the truck trailers needed to be compiled and fully considered prior to any definitive actions being taken on them.
Some national legislators agree with that view. Two U.S. senators, including Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), recently introduced an amendment that, if passed, would require the DOT to engage in a detailed study of such trucks before they are approved for use nationwide.
Feinstein said that it “runs counter to all notions of highway safety” to allow commercial vehicles of such unprecedented size to share road space with passenger cars and trucks.
In addition to the safety implications inherent in such trucks, concerns have also been expressed regarding the financial outlays that states would need to expend on infrastructure upgrades and repairs that would be required to accommodate the massive vehicles.
Feinstein stated that it is “only logical that we wait to receive all the facts before making sweeping changes to federal law.”
Currently, only double 28-foot tractor trailers are allowed on national roadways.
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