Big Rigs Rolling

Then change the law. There are the watchwords for North Carolina legislators, and if necessary, for members of the state's congressional delegation, when it comes to allowing longer truck trailers on hundreds of miles of highways in the state. The state Attorney General's Office has ruled that length limits from the Department of Transportation are more restrictive than those allowed by state and federal law. The result: DOT now is drawing up new maps showing where 53-foot trailers will be allowed. The old limit on the trailers was 48 feet, and many of the longer trailers have been drawing tickets. That has made haulers and the companies for whom they deliver unhappy.

If the laws trump DOT regulations, then it's the laws that need to be changed, not the regulations. Highway safety advocates, including the State Highway Patrol, are adamant in their belief that longer trailers will be more hazardous on more roads. To make some turns, especially on narrow roads, trucks (at 48 feet) already have to go across center lines. Those North Carolinians who've traveled much in the mountains can attest to the hazards, and Lt. Everett Clendenin of the Patrol says, "So a 53-foot trailer is really going to present a problem up there, in our opinion."

Those who support longer trailers say that more capacity for deliveries will mean fewer vehicles hauling more stuff. Maybe so, but what about that balanced against greater hazards for average motorists dwarfed by huge trucks? A safety advocate in Washington put it this way: "These guys are going to be on roads with lots of vertical and horizontal curves and short sight distances. It will increase the risk of crashes, absolutely."

It's true that North Carolina's rules have been more strict than most other states'. Guess what? That's a good thing. So let's hope the General Assembly and, if need be, the state's representatives in Congress will not go along to get along, but will act to protect stronger rules, and the citizens who share our highways with the big rigs.

The News & Observer; Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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