BELLEFONTE — Size does matter in Centre County.
And because of that fact, the Centre County Board of Commissioners agreed to show support for the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, a national group working toward legislation that would limit the size of rigs on the road.
With two interstates running through the local mountains — both having been the scene of major accidents and crashes involving shipping trucks — the nod came unanimously from all three commissioners.
“We already know our roads and bridges get beat up quite a bit. There are unfortunately still fatalities and accidents on our road and highways,” Chairman Commissioner Michael Pipe said while discussing a letter of support for the cause.
“This would just be to encourage our federal legislatures to oppose any legislation that would allow for larger, unsafe tractor trailers on our roadways.”
“It is important to note that we truly support the transportation industry and the trucking industry,” Commissioner Steven Dershem said.
“This is just to keep our highway safe from those big mega-trucks and those tri-trailer units that perhaps don’t represent the most safe environment for not only themselves but also for the rest of the driving community.”
Pipe said these larger vehicles take longer to stop, causing potential safety issues on the interstate.
“If you think about it, (when) inclement weather, especially freezing precipitation, occurs on I-80, around the Snow Shoe exit, we have seen some pretty bad accidents with multiple fatalities around there,” said Pipe.
“That was even when the speed limit wasn’t 70 (mph). It was increased recently five miles an hour in the last several years. So, it is even a little more treacherous up there. And these trucks are about 10 feet longer than the ones we have currently. It takes a lot longer to stop. So, that part of roadways is part of my interest in a letter of support.”
He also cited the current construction of the I-80/I-99 interchange.
“We want that to be a safe intersection,” Pipe said.
“Those are some instances of areas of the county where I saw that might not be where we want to have these big trucks there.”
CABT advocates for highway safety. The group’s website reports that “Semitrailer trucks play a vital role in the U.S. economy and transportation system, but longer, heavier trucks endanger motorists, weaken our roads and bridges and cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year in highway subsidies. A leading voice in opposing more dangerous truck configurations, the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks is a national, nonprofit grassroots organization that has advocated for highway safety and sound transportation policies since 1995.”
In sending a letter of support on the matter, Centre County joined a list of more than 3,500 law enforcement officers, EMTs, safety leaders, engineers, independent truck drivers and elected officials in supporting the group’s efforts.
Pipe said the wide support from these types of organization was part of his rationale for getting involved after CABT reached out to the county. Fellow commissioners Dershem and Mark Higgins also gave nods in support of drafting the letter.
This story appears in the Sept. 1-7 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
