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71.1 Problem Statement and Research Objective Interest is building across the United States in allowing longer and heavier trucks access to the national road network. Canadaâs provinces and territories have all agreed to allow a set of heavy truck configurations with specified dimensional and weight limits on specific highways defined by each juris- diction. The trucks are allowed considerably higher weight than those required by federal regulation in the United States, and double trailer combinations are allowed slightly greater length. While provinces allow other configurations for do- mestic and regional needs, the national configurations now form the backbone of the truck fleet in Canada. The process to achieve this was put in place when the provinces realized that the increasingly diverse limits and configurations arising from provinces acting independently, or regionally, were leading to significant barriers to internal trade. The result was achieved from a process of negotiation to consensus among the provinces, and was based on a substantial research proj- ect to address significant road, bridge, and vehicle configura- tion and performance issues. The process used in Canada for the national harmoniza- tion of truck size and weight limits in the 1980s can provide considerable insight to policy makers who are evaluating changes to truck regulations in the United States, and partic- ularly, the need to understand how vehicle configurations should be specified so that specific regulatory changes actu- ally result in the desired outcomes. This research therefore had two objectives: 1. Review and summarize the most current information on the Canadian experience with changes in truck size and weight limits and 2. Evaluate the applicability of this experience to truck size and weight limits in the United States. 1.2 Scope of Study The study was divided into two phases, which together included five major tasks, as follows: ⢠Truck size and weight regulations in Canada: â Some history of the evolution of size and weight regula- tion in Canada, â A summary of current size and weight limits, and â An outline of the institutional framework for truck size and weight regulation in Canada, and ⢠Impacts and lessons of harmonization of truck size and weight limits in Canada: â Summary of the impacts of changes in truck size and weight regulations in Canada, and â Identification of areas where the Canadian truck size and weight limits have resulted in particular successes or problems and the identification of constraints that might limit that applicability of Canadian practices in the United States. The study was based primarily on available research and institutional documentation focusing primarily from 1980 onward. 1.3 Terminology The term âsize and weight regulationsâ is used through- out this report to describe the body of rules for configura- tion, sizes, and allowable weights of heavy trucks set by a given jurisdiction. C H A P T E R 1 Background
Canada has ten provinces and three territories. The term âprovincesâ or âprovincialâ is used as a simplification through- out this report, and, where used, includes the Canadian territories. A number of organizations, pieces of legislation and other things are widely known by an abbreviation of their name. A list of common abbreviations used here may be found at the end of the report, after the references. This work uses a number of terms to identify or describe ve- hicle configuration, components, axle groups, dimensions, and other aspects of heavy trucks. Definitions of terms may be found at the end of this report, after the table of abbreviations. 8