As a Georgia lawyer handling trucking accident cases, I continually encounter the correlation between mass, speed and stopping distances. Heavier trucks require more stopping distance.  Therefore, I am concerned about a proposal to permit larger trucks on the highways in several states, including Georgia.  Understandably, the proposal, is stirring controversy about safety, environmental and infrastructure issues.

The trucking industry is advocating a pilot plan that would permit freight trucks to transport an additional 17,000 pounds along roads in Maine, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.  Federal law currently limits trucks driving on interstate highways to 80,000 pounds.  The proposal would allow truck weights up to 97,000 pounds.

Proponents of the plan say it saves fuel, cuts pollution and can be done safely.

Opponents of the weight increase say larger, heavier trucks are more difficult to control, more dangerous, and will cause more damage to roads and bridges.

The Shigley Law Firm  represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases arising from motor carrier accidents statewide in Georgia.  Recently elected Secretary of the State Bar of Georgia, Ken Shigley has been designated as a "SuperLawyer" in Atlanta Magazine and one of the "Legal Elite" in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and former chair of both the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, bus wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks.