[spacer size=”10″]
A new bill currently making its way through the Kentucky state House would allow for trucks hauling poultry and other livestock and agricultural materials to haul up to 88,000 pounds, or 10% of the max allowable weight.
Kentucky Senate Bill 44, or SB44, will likely be heard by the House Transportation Committee this week. The bill was introduced to the Senate on January 7. On February 4, the bill passed a 35 to 3 vote in the Committee Substitute.
Proponents of the bill says that farms don’t often have scales on the premises. Kentucky Motor Transportation Association’s president, Jamie Fepke, said that passing the bill is not a green ticket to automatically load trucks up to the max weight, rather it’s a safety net for drivers.
Other groups have spoken out against the bill. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks states that the passage of SB 44 would, “endanger Kentucky motorists, speed up deterioration of roads and bridges and impose new burdens on taxpayers.”