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December 20, 1999 10:33 AM, EST

The leader of the nation’s largest trucking trade association has challenged the railroad industry to engage in a “new dialogue” aimed at “assuring fast, frequent, safe freight delivery” and called for a summit early next year between the transportation modes.

Walter B. McCormick Jr., president of American Trucking Associations, sent a letter on Dec. 14 to Edward R. Hamberger, head of the Association of American Railroads, saying that railroads were pursuing policies that slowed economic growth. He noted press reports that purchasers of sport utility vehicles often had to wait an extra month because of delivery delays caused by rail haulers.

“The nation’s trucking companies that haul SUVs are ready, willing and able to increase their capacity for making deliveries using existing equipment,” McCormick said. “But [they] are precluded from doing so by the current cap of 80,000 pounds for truck weight.”

He said the weight restriction prevents auto transporters from carrying additional sport utility vehicles even though they have the room. Federal regulations limit tractor-trailers to 80,000 pounds, but carriers can get special permits from states to haul heavier cargo.

For the full story, see the Dec. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. .