FARGO, N.D. -- Bruce Kleven, a Minneapolis-based attorney and agricultural lobbyist, says the effect of increased weight limits should cut fuel consumption.
In his legislative testimony, Kleven used an example of a sugar beet farmer has a 500-acre beet crop at 18 tons per acre, he says. Using the current model of 80,000 pounds on five axles versus 97,000 pounds on seven axles, the result of the change is 12 percent fewer trips.
Because there already is a harvest-time 10 percent allowance on trunk highways, the actual increase is from 88,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds -- more like 10 percent, he acknowledges.
But a 12 percent reduction in trips does two things.
First, it means less exposure to oncoming traffic on two-lane roads and less chance of accidents. Also for safety, each wheel must have brakes under the new law. Stopping power goes up exponentially.
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For road impact, it reduces the amount of weight each axle is carrying.
Estimating fuel savings is a bit trickier, Kleven says, because you use more fuel to pull the greater weight. If you are pulling out from a stop sign, it takes more fuel to get under way and to cruising speed.
"Logic will tell you, your trip reduction will tell you you make up for it in trip reductions," Kleven says.
-- Mikkel Pates
