By Shapleigh S.C.R. No. 47
76R7937 RVH-D
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, More commercial trucks travel Texas roads than the
1-2 roads of any other state, in part because almost 80 percent of all
1-3 U.S. trade with Mexico passes through this state; according to the
1-4 U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation
1-5 Statistics, in 1993 Texas had the most truck shipments with 119
1-6 billion ton miles at a value of $1.2 trillion, but ranked only
1-7 seventh in federal aid apportionments to the states; and
1-8 WHEREAS, While the sizable increase in commercial truck
1-9 traffic alone is sufficient to cause increased road wear, the
1-10 effect of overweight trucks on weight-restricted roads can result
1-11 in millions of dollars in accelerated road and bridge deterioration
1-12 annually; and
1-13 WHEREAS, Of the existing 77,000-mile road system in Texas,
1-14 only the 3,000 miles of interstate highway are classified as
1-15 heavy-duty use, with a load limit of 80,000 pounds; the roads most
1-16 at risk to damage by overweight trucks, which can weigh between
1-17 80,000 and 200,000 pounds or more, are the 42,000 miles of bridges
1-18 and roads in the farm- and ranch-to-market road systems that were
1-19 designed to carry trucks weighing only 30,000 and 58,000 pounds,
1-20 respectively; and
1-21 WHEREAS, The Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M
1-22 University found that an 84,000-pound truck operated on roads
1-23 load-zoned at 58,000 pounds causes about $2,000 worth of road
1-24 damage per year while the American Association of State Highway and
2-1 Transportation Officials established that the damage from one
2-2 80,000-pound truck is equal to the damage caused by 9,600 cars; and
2-3 WHEREAS, The maximum permitted axle loads in Mexico are 10
2-4 percent to 20 percent higher than those allowed in Texas; that fact
2-5 becomes more alarming considering that less than one-half of one
2-6 percent of all trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border are
2-7 inspected for weight or other types of compliance with Texas road
2-8 laws; and
2-9 WHEREAS, A report by the Center for Transportation Research
2-10 at The University of Texas at Austin indicates that tractor-trailer
2-11 and other large commercial trucks are responsible for 35.5 percent
2-12 of the costs of building and maintaining highways but pay only 17.8
2-13 percent of all user fees; and
2-14 WHEREAS, In 1998, the Texas Department of Transportation
2-15 issued more than 500,000 permits for both oversize loads and
2-16 overweight trucks that generated more than $25 million in revenue,
2-17 with an increase of 350 percent in overweight permits alone since
2-18 1990; nevertheless, studies by the Texas Transportation Institute
2-19 estimate the damage caused by overweight trucks to be $62.8 million
2-20 per year, far more than the revenue recouped through permit fees;
2-21 and
2-22 WHEREAS, In another report, the Texas Transportation
2-23 Institute determined that a fee for a weight tolerance permit
2-24 commensurate with the true cost of road damage caused by heavy
2-25 trucks would be more than $2,000 per truck, as opposed to the
2-26 current $75 base fee; and
2-27 WHEREAS, In the 1991 report, Breaking the Mold, the Texas
3-1 Performance Review recommended that the state recoup the cost for
3-2 road damage caused by overweight trucks by increasing its revenues
3-3 from heavy trucks via higher registration fees and an increased
3-4 diesel fuel tax; now, therefore, be it
3-5 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-6 hereby urge the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct a
3-7 study on the factors that cause road damage and revise its funding
3-8 formulas to reflect and address the damage caused by NAFTA truck
3-9 traffic; and, be it further
3-10 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
3-11 copy of this resolution to the executive director of the Texas
3-12 Department of Transportation.