The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) expresses its gratitude to Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) for their leadership in introducing and championing an amendment that removed dangerous changes to key truck safety policy and replaced them with a responsible study on the impacts of truck sizes and weights. The passage of this amendment occurred during yesterday’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mark up of H.R. 7, “The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act.”

The TSC also lauds the “aye” votes of Representatives Rahall (D-WV), Altmire (D-PA), Bishop (D-NY), Boswell (D-IA), Brown (D-FL), Bucshon (R-IN), Capuano (D-MA), Carnahan (D-MO), Cohen (D-TN), Cummings (D-MD), Denham (R-CA), Duncan (R-TN), Edwards (D-MD), Farenthold (R-TX), Graves (R-MO), Harris (R-MD), Hirono (D-HI), Holden (D-PA), Hultgren (R-IL), Johnson (R-IL), Johnson (D-TX), Larsen (D-WA), Lipinski (D-IL), Meehan (R-PA), Miller (R-CA), Miller (R-MI), Nadler (D-NY), Napolitano (D-CA), Norton (D-DC), Richardson (D-CA), and Shuler (D-NC).

These Representatives put the safety of all motorists before the pressures of high-powered trucking and shipping industry. Each of these “aye” votes saved countless lives that would have been lost and prevented severe injuries that would have resulted had the original legislative language been passed. The so-called “state option” that would have allowed states to increase truck weight on federal roads from the current 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds would have, in reality, not been an option but rather a bullying technique. Industry lobbyists would have rushed from state legislature to neighboring state legislature threatening economic disadvantages. We thank these responsible Members of Congress for protecting the safety of all families travelling on these roads.

We also want to thank Department of Transportation Secretary LaHood for the tremendous pro-safety leadership he demonstrated in condemning H.R. 7 as “the most anti-safety bill” he has ever seen. The TSC could not agree more with the Secretary and we look forward to working together with all these leaders in the Administration and Congress to rid H.R. 7 of other anti-safety provisions and move forward with S. 1950, the “Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act”. For more information on the safety provisions in S.1950 and other safety initiatives, please visit www.trucksafety.org.