Vilsack considers lifting weight limits on trucks to help with fuel price crunch

Governor Vilsack will consider raising the weight limit on semis so truckers can haul more freight — to make up for the expense of higher diesel prices. According to the Iowa Motor Truck Association, truckers are paying, on average, an extra hundred-50 bucks every time they re-fuel because of the higher pump prices. That extra expense is being passed along to consumers. Representative Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, was among the first to urge Vilsack to let truckers carry bigger payloads.Truckers are presently restricted to hauling loads of 80-thousand pounds, but the Governor has the authority to waive that limit for a few months. Rants suggests raising the limit to 90-thousand pounds per haul. Rants says farmers would benefit, too, during the upcoming planting season. Vilsack says he’ll consider raising the truckers’ limit, but weigh it against the extra expense of the additional wear and tear on Iowa highways.