Highway bill would allow trucks up to 91,000 pounds on six axles on interstates as part of pilot

A $580 billion transportation bill under consideration by Congress includes an amendment that would allow states to significantly increase truck weights as part of a pilot program.

H.R. 8870, also known as the BUILD America 250 Act, passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22 and is now under consideration by the full House.

The bill includes an amendment submitted by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson to create a pilot program to allow states to increase truck weights from the current federal standard of 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.

The amendment would create a voluntary ten-year pilot program allowing states to increase truck weights on federal interstates up to 91,000 pounds on six axles.

Johnson said that benefits of the pilot include “easing burdensome regulations and improving driver recruitment and retention.”

States would not be forced to participate in the truck weight increase pilot.

Trucking groups like the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) have opposed heavier trucks, arguing that they would increase costs, harm infrastructure, and offer no benefits for truckers.

The safety group Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) recently asked lawmakers to consider the safety implications of allowing heavier trucks on U.S. roadways.

In a May 5, 2026 letter, CABT wrote:

“We understand the pressures that are brought from supporters of bigger trucks and the arguments they make. Unfortunately, all of these arguments forget one key point – making a truck heavier or longer will lead to more deaths. It is simple physics. The more mass, the more dangerous the truck will become when involved in a crash. In our opinion, there is not one argument that can be made that is worth a person’s life.”

The Build America 250 Act contains several other provisions that are widely considered to be beneficial to trucking.

OOIDA President Todd Spencer praised the bill for “including a $750 million investment in truck parking, guaranteed restroom access for truckers at shipping facilities, and a ban on predatory leasing schemes.”