Follow Us x
Economic Impact
Allowing 6-axle 100,000 lb trucks on Maine's Interstate Highways
November 18, 2011, President Obama signed the 2012 Transportation Funding Bill that includes a provision, written by Senator Susan Collins, that will allow 6-axle 100,000 lb. trucks to travel on all federal interstates in Maine for 20 years instead of forcing them off the highways and onto Maine's secondary roads and downtown streets.
It was a long road to get there, but with efforts from many different parties in the State of Maine, it was finally a success! What did H.O. Bouchard have to do with this getting passed for Maine? H.O. Bouchard conducted the study that was used by Senator Susan Collins and others that made such a huge impact on this law getting passed. Click here to see the results of the study we conducted. Two members of the H.O. Bouchard team, Gordon Debeck and Jeff Bouchard, traveled from Hampden, ME, to Houlton, ME, gathering the results of this study which became quite a considering factor in getting the Maine State provision passed.
Below are testimonials from the Maine State Senator Susan Collins and Brian Parke, CEO of MMTA on the impact H.O. Bouchard had on this finally becoming a success:
"I think the success of getting Congress to allow six axle trucks to use the entire Maine interstate system all came down to two important components - having a relentless advocate in Senator Susan Collins and having compelling real-world information and data to support the contention of improved highway safety. H.O. Bouchard did an outstanding job, and in my mind took us over the top, by providing incredible proof of how many different interactions would be avoided by allowing trucks to use the interstate for just one of their many trips.
This is just one more example of how trucking companies like H.O. Bouchard are really committed to highway safety, the safety of the motoring public and the safety of their drivers. Without Senator Collins being able to use their routing study from Hampden to Houlton to clearly see the safety benefits of putting commercial truck traffic on the interstate, the path to success would have been much harder."
Brian Parke, MMTA President and CEO
