I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 969 
To permit commercial vehicles at weights up to 129,000 pounds to use 
certain highways of the Interstate System in the State of Idaho, which 
would provide significant savings in the transportation of goods through-
out the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2009 
Mr. SIMPSON (for himself and Mr. MINNICK) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To permit commercial vehicles at weights up to 129,000 
pounds to use certain highways of the Interstate System 
in the State of Idaho, which would provide significant 
savings in the transportation of goods throughout the 
United States, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Idaho Efficient Vehicle 
Demonstration Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) States including Montana, Nevada, Utah, 
and Wyoming have been grandfathered the right to 
operate up to 129,000-pound or greater vehicle com-
binations on 9 axles or more on Federal highways; 
(2) laws governing Federal highway funding ef-
fectively impose a limit of 105,500 pounds on the 
weight of vehicles permitted to use the Interstate 
System within the State of Idaho; 
(3) the State of Idaho is surrounded by the 
States specified in paragraph (1) that allow higher 
weight limits on the Interstate System, which puts 
the State of Idaho at a disadvantage in moving 
freight within Idaho and into those surrounding 
States; 
(4) in 2003, the legislature of the State of 
Idaho adopted House Bill 395, which established a 
10-year pilot project that allows vehicle combinations 
up to 129,000 pounds to be operated on 10 axles on 
specific routes in that State, but does not address 
the Interstate System; 
(5) in enacting the pilot project program in 
House Bill 395 of the State, the legislature required 
the Idaho Transportation Department to report to 
the legislature on the effect of the program; 
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(6) the Idaho Transportation Department is re-
quired to submit reports every 3 years during the 
10-year life of the pilot project program that de-
scribe the results of monitoring and evaluation of all 
important impacts, including impacts to safety, 
bridges, and pavement, on all pilot project routes; 
(7) the pilot project program terminates on 
July 1, 2013, unless the program is otherwise ex-
tended or sooner repealed by the legislature; 
(8) the administration of the pilot project, cou-
pled with the fact that vehicle combinations cannot 
operate at 129,000 pounds on the Interstate System, 
has forced those heavier vehicle combinations to di-
vert onto small State and local roads on which high-
er vehicle weight limits are allowed under State law; 
(9) the diversion of those vehicles onto those 
roads increases fuel costs because of increased idling 
time and total travel time along those roads; 
(10) the cost of transportation fuel has in-
creased more than 80 percent between calendar 
years 2007 and 2008; and 
(11) permitting commercial vehicles to travel on 
a select few Interstate System highways within the 
State at increased weight limits would provide— 
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