As truck weights and sizes increase, fatal accidents increase. Larger trucks increase the risk of rolling over and jackknifing.
Evasive maneuvers pose serious safety threats to nearby motorists.
The California Department of Transportation reported that these longer combination vehicles can sway 4 to 6 feet into other lanes of traffic. The weight of these trucks accelerate the need for bridge and road repairs. In 1991, Congress passed a highway re-authorization bill restricting the operation of longer combination vehicles. Trucking proponents sought but lost an appeal to lift the ban in 1998. Attempts to lift the ban have continued.