May 14, 2008

(Washington, D.C.) – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Wednesday urged Congress to ignore trucking industry lobbyists who want to let dangerous large trucks on our highways. 

A trucking industry group called “Americans for Safe and Efficient Transportation” is lobbying Congress this week for a pilot program to let bigger trucks on the road in five, possibly six states.

The states are Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Georgia and possibly Texas.

“The idea of letting bigger trucks on the road is just crazy,” Hoffa said. “They’re extremely dangerous and they ruin our roads and bridges, which are already in bad shape.”

“I can’t imagine a worse time to promote this idea. Our infrastructure is falling apart and the highway fund is running out of money, and they want to allow trucks that do more damage to roads and bridges?” Hoffa said.

Hoffa also pointed out that the Bush administration failed to reduce the death rate in large truck crashes.

“What is it about highway safety that the Bush administration doesn’t understand?” Hoffa said.  “They’ve already increased the hours truckers can drive and they’ve tried to let unsafe trucks from Mexico beyond the border zone. Is the Bush administration trying to kill us?”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.