Providing Access for Large Trucks

The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 attempted to strike a balance between improved efficiency of trucking operations and safety. Since the Act became law, the U.S. Department of Transportation has designated a National Network and all states have enacted access policies. Because of the restrictiveness of some state access policies, carriers and shippers have petitioned the Federal Highway Administration to establish minimum uniform standards for reasonable access. State and local transportation officials, however, maintain that access decisions should be made locally. To help resolve these differences, Congress, acting through the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation and Assistance Act of 1987, requested that the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council conduct a study on a nationwide policy for provision of reasonable access. The findings of that study are presented in this Special Report, along with recommendations. They cover procedures for determining appropriate highways for access, safety, vehicle handling characteristics, pavement service life, access to service facilities, local government access policies, the implementation of access policies, and the definition of "terminal."