BIG RIGS REDUX

For a small state, Maine’s congressional delegation is remarkably influential. Yet even with that influence, the delegation has been unsuccessful in reversing one of the more absurd federal regulations, the weight limit on trucks traveling on I-95 north of Augusta.

Federal law currently allows trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on the Maine Turnpike and on state roads. But the law prohibits trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds from traveling on I-95 from Augusta to Houlton. So instead of keeping the big rigs on a divided, controlled access highway, they rumble through Maine’s small towns and over Maine’s secondary roads – two-lane, winding, hilly roads with traffic lights and stop signs.

Raising the weight limit on I-95 would probably mean higher maintenance costs for the interstate, and in one sense, the federal law seems like a reasonable measure to protect the federal investment. But federal funds also are used in repairing the state’s secondary roads, which are less able to handle that extra weight.

The law has not been changed, observers say, because of the influence pro-railroad lobbies have on Congress’ transportation committees. And some transportation advocacy groups argue, perhaps with genuine concern, that allowing bigger trucks on federal highways could make the roads less safe. Yet this argument can be easily turned aside given the fact that 100,000- pound trucks are, in fact, traveling through small towns.

Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have taken yet another run at changing the law, this time linking it with the pressing issue of high diesel fuel costs. Their proposal is to institute a two-year pilot program raising the weight limit, but only having it in effect when diesel prices top $3.50 per gallon. Reps. Tom Allen and Mike Michaud have sponsored a similar bill in the House.

The log jam preventing a change in the highway law may change after the fall elections, but rising diesel prices bring a heightened urgency to the need. And the facts are too overwhelming to ignore: 80,000-pound trucks mean 11/2 times as many trips to deliver goods than 100,000-pound trucks; fatal car accidents could be reduced by 10 percent if the big trucks stayed on I-95; and fuel consumption would decrease.

But then, these facts have been well-known for a long time. Sen. Collins said she may attach her bill to an omnibus energy bill; linking this old issue to a new problem just might be the ticket to success.