Please contact your Members of Congress with the following message on bigger trucks.  Your Representatives can be contacted at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

As you deliberate on the surface transportation authorization bill, I urge you to retain current federal truck size and weight limits and reject any special interest pilot projects or other attempts to increase these limits.  I ask that you support the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA) H.R. 1574/S. 876 which would “freeze” truck weights and lengths in every state and prevent dangerous overweight trucks from being on our already compromised roads and bridges.

On average 4,000 people are killed in truck crashes annually and 100,000 more are injured.  The annual cost of truck crashes exceeds $19 billion.  In the past 10 years more than 48,000 people have needlessly died and over 1 million have been injured in truck crashes.  In fatal 2-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck 98% of the deaths are occupants of the passenger vehicles.  Adding even more weight to a big truck dramatically increases the risk of death and serious injury.

[INSERT PERSONAL STORY]

It is time for Congress to say enough is enough.  Please take action now to protect innocent motorists and truck drivers from the inherent dangers of overweight trucks which would also further damage our infrastructure and lead to more fuel consumption and more emissions.  Please support SHIPA.  Thank you.