Senate committee advances bill easing axle-weight rules for log trucks amid industry and safety concerns

A Senate committee voted favorably on Senate Bill 110 on a voice vote after more than an hour of testimony weighing the forestry industry’s economic case for modest axle-weight increases against state engineers’ warnings about road and bridge damage and public-safety risks.

The bill would clarify axle-weight definitions and, in some cases, raise allowable weights on a tandem axle from current practice toward a higher per-axle tolerance (speakers described figures in the range of 44,000–48,000 pounds on a tandem axle) while leaving the maximum gross vehicle weight near current statutory limits. Supporters said the change would reduce what they called unfair over-axle citations; state transportation officials and county engineers said heavier axle loads accelerate pavement deterioration and threaten rural bridges.

"Roads and bridges don't don't know what the total weight of the vehicle is. They know the weight of the axle point it's pressing on it," George Connor, Deputy Director for Operations at the Alabama Department of Transportation, told the committee, arguing the road impact depends on how load is distributed across axles. Connor said ALDOT is…