Brian Babin: “Every one of us on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hears a lot about trucks, bigger trucks and heavier…”

“Every one of us on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hears a lot about trucks, bigger trucks and heavier trucks. I think by now it is safe to say that all 435 of us have heard a lot about trucks. It is a tough issue with strong feelings on both sides. But this amendment isn't talking about bigger trucks or heavier trucks, as my colleague, Mr. Farenthold, said. All we are talking about here is allowing the State of Texas, through a rigorous licensing and approval process, to keep the same weight limits that are in place right now for certain trucks on certain stretches of our road, not bigger, not heavier, but the same. Unless we get this amendment adopted, the new blue signs for Interstate 69 in East Texas won't just mean a new interstate. It could mean financial ruin for our loggers who already have a very thin profit margin and a very tough time for our timber industry. It will mean a dramatic decrease in the amount of weight that all the loggers can haul on their trucks, which they have been doing safely and effectively on these roads for generations, even back when these same Texas counties were represented by our colorful Texas Democrat Congressman, Timber Charlie Wilson.…”