In general, federal law restricts the length of tractor-semitrailer combinations to the tractor plus either one 48-foot trailer or two 28-foot trailers and limits the total weight of the truck (including cargo) to 80,000 pounds.

Congress froze the size and weight limits on trucks at this level in 1991 and retained the freeze in 1998 with passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Twenty-one states, however, have exemptions and "grandfather rights" that allow them to run bigger, heavier trucks on roadways.

AAA's opposition to allowing bigger and heavier trucks on our roadways is based on three concerns: safety, impact on infrastructure and the overwhelming concerns of AAA members.

AAA opposes any increase in existing federal maximum truck size and weight standards and opposes any effort to lift the longer combination vehicle - LCV - freeze that was approved in 1991.

See a recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report which found that motorists don't change their behavior when driving around big trucks. The most common actions that get drivers into trouble include:

• Failure to keep in lane or running off the road.
• Failure to yield the right of way.
• Driving too fast for conditions or above speed limit.
• Failure to obey signs and signals.
• Driver inattention.

Contact your local AAA club for more information.