Trucking and Size and Weight Regulations in the Mid-Continent Corridor

Details

• Creators:
  Montufar, Jeannette
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Manitoba
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Commodity Flow Freight Traffic Gross Vehicle Weight Load Limits Mid-Continent Corridor Policy Regulations Trucking Safety Truck Routes Trucks Vehicle Fleets Vehicle Size

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• Resource Type:
  Thesis
• Geographical Coverage:
  Canada ; Manitoba ; Mexico ; United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  University of Manitoba
• Abstract:
  This thesis is an empirical analysis of trucking and truck size and weight (TS&W) regulations in the Mid-continent corridor. Based on this analysis, it compares and contrasts plausible near term TS&W policy options relating to this corridor. The approach of the research is to understand the corridors TS&W regulations, trucking activity, and commodity and trade flows; with a view to facilitating the comparing and contrasting of TS&W policy options. With this understanding, the thesis then compares and contrasts the TS&W policy options. The corridor is governed by a complex set of TS&W regulations emanating directly from the U.S. Federal Government, the nine corridor States, Mexico, Manitoba, and indirectly from other jurisdictions throughout North America. This regulatory environment includes important differences on limits concerning tire loads, axle loads, gross vehicle weights, Bridge Formula requirements, vehicle heights, vehicle widths, semitrailer lengths, vehicle combination lengths, and large truck configurations. These TS&W regulations have created a complex truck fleet with many different physical and operational characteristics. This fleet includes vehicles designed for ?go anywhere? trucking to many types of special vehicles with unique body types, axle arrangements, and tire arrangements designed to optimize operations for specific commodities, origin-destination pairs, and truck routings. The total activity in the corridor is dominated by intrajurisdictional movements. However, while the corridor is often characterized as a north-south entity, much of its transportation activity in fact runs east-west to and from or through the corridor States. Also, the amount of interstate trucking that occurs within the corridor is minimal and very little north-south interjurisdictional activity takes place to and from the corridor sections of the corridor involve low to medium truck volumes, while some involve very high volumes. The lowest truck volumes along the corridor occur at its ends--south of the Manitoba-U.S. border, between Minneapolis and Duluth, between Laredo and Cotulla--and in its middle on the east side of Wichita, Kansas. Much of the trucking in this corridor takes place well within the boundary conditions established by the TS&W regulations governing trucking in the corridor. Therefore, relaxation of these regulations can only be of real consequence in the near to medium term to mainly selected aspects of the total trucking activity. Many of the detailed regulatory differences that exist today relating to trucking in the Mid-continent corridor cannot be justified with any technical argument. There is good reason to pursue the harmonization and rationalization of TS&W regulatory differences of little or no technical significance to facilitate safer and more efficient trucking in the corridor.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:770418e55b60a7a000824a15b73e331ae3fbd245d06025135b41e9b4a16a7f98c2ae0bbcd4cefcda88e5183378d9d7aab20f94c54f37c0a06a8a3676a75b0198
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33785/dot_33785_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 14.25 MB ]