The Hidden Danger Facing Hundreds Of Minnesota Bridges

Minnesota has joined the 49 other states in signing a letter to federal lawmakers, warning them that changes to trucking regulations could have disastrous consequences for states across the country.

Minnesota Joins National Call on Trucking Regulations

Roads, bridges, and the infrastructure that supports them are among the biggest expenses states must manage. In Minnesota, many community leaders are sounding the alarm that proposed changes to federal trucking rules could put over 68,000 bridges nationwide at risk, including hundreds in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

READ MORE: Minnesota Now Ranks As One Of The Best States For Teachers In America

A Nationwide Coalition Speaks Out

The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) is a grassroots movement that includes county and municipal officials, public works directors, and engineers from all 50 states. More than 2,200 of them recently signed a letter opposing bigger tractor-trailer trucks on American roads.

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According to CABT, major shipping companies are pushing proposals to increase the federal truck weight limit beyond the current 80,000 pounds. A pilot project has already tested 91,000-pound trucks and 154,000-pound logging trucks, raising safety concerns.

CABT also warns that allowing governors to set their own weight limits for interstate traffic would create a confusing patchwork of laws that could be “devastating to interstate commerce.”

Minnesota Bridges At Risk

A CABT study shows that raising weight limits to 91,000 pounds would put nearly 730 Minnesota bridges at risk, with replacement costs topping $780 million.

Supervisor Jeff Krueger of New Market Township explained, “It is very simple – trucks do not load and unload on interstates. Whether for gas, meals, or deliveries, trucks ultimately use local roads and bridges. This impacts us all.”