Freight rail and trucking both play essential roles in keeping our rural economy moving. As someone who operates a trucking business, was a farmer and now chairs the East Wisconsin Counties Rail Commission, I’ve seen firsthand how each mode complements the other when the system works as it should.
That’s why I’m concerned about the perennial proposals in Washington to raise the federal truck weight limit beyond the current 80,000 pounds.
Heavier trucks are a direct hit to local infrastructure and municipal budgets. Through my work as a town official and experience with trucking and farming, I’ve seen this issue from every angle and know the value of an efficient freight system. The math on heavier trucks simply doesn’t add up — and our communities are the ones left footing the bill.
Consider this: Wisconsin has 115,674 miles of public roads, but only 11,745 miles are part of the state highway system. The remaining miles — nearly 90% of our roads — are maintained by local governments like the towns I represent.
Now imagine the impact of adding 11,000 pounds to already-heavy trucks. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, allowing 91,000-pound trucks would cause over $1 billion in immediate bridge damage and up to $1.8 billion in annual pavement damage. Worse still, those trucks would only pay about 55% of the damage they inflict — the rest would come from taxpayer pockets.
Thankfully, Wisconsin is also seeing smart investments in freight rail that point the way forward. Western Wisconsin’s Landmark Services Cooperative opened a state-of-the-art rail terminal in Hager City that will improve grain handling capacity, reduce truck congestion and provide farmers with a direct link to domestic and global markets.
Facilities like this — served by Class I railroads and built with private capital — are a model of how rail strengthens local economies and keeps freight moving efficiently.
Lawmakers should resist the temptation to overload our roads as they consider a surface transportation bill. Instead, Congress should look to preserve and enhance balance in our freight system. That means maintaining the current truck weight limits and rejecting unfunded mandates on railroads that disproportionately hit rural communities.
It also means finally finding a long-term solution to fixing the Highway Trust Fund.
For decades, we’ve relied on a funding model that’s fallen behind the needs of modern infrastructure and fails to account for higher efficiency and electric vehicles. The current U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has taken important first steps in exploring gas tax alternatives. Mileage-based solutions, especially for commercial vehicles, would ensure all roadway users pay their fair share.
Freight rail already does its part — investing more than $23 billion annually in privately funded infrastructure and moving 40% of our nation’s freight. We should be building on that foundation, not tipping the scales toward heavier trucks that shorten the lifespan of taxpayer-funded roads and bridges.
These days people seem to forget that America was built on railroads. That’s one of the reasons I traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to discuss rail and transportation policy and talk with lawmakers about these very issues.
Strong communities depend on strong infrastructure — and that includes a freight system where rail, roads and trucks each play to their strengths. If Congress wants to keep Wisconsin connected, competitive and cost-effective, they should say no to heavier trucks and yes to balanced, forward-looking transportation policy.
Tom Winker is president of the Wisconsin Towns Association, headquartered in the Town of Richmond, and chair of the East Wisconsin Counties Rail Commission.
