New federal legislation may bring longer tractor-trailers to area roads. Senator Charles Schumer is warning the longer trucks could be traveling along any road that receives federal funding.
He says a key Senate committee is following the urging of the national trucking industry and voting for even longer trucks. The law, he says, would bypass New York law and the recommendations of truckers in this state.
"Some of these trucks are just too big," Schumer told a media teleconference Wednesday.
"Particularly for our bridges that are structurally deficient and to allow these trucks to go over will hasten the unuseabilty of these bridges, will increase the lack of safety on these bridges and will cost us more money to fix them."
The legislation would allow tandem tractor trailers to be 84-feet long with trailers that would expand to 33-feet long from the current 28-feet.
Schumer warns if the law is passed, the large trucks would be seen on larger, faster roads like the Thruway or the Kensington Expressway, and on slower roads which wind through smaller municipalities like Route 20 or Route 62.
