Two bills are being advanced in the Georgia legislature that would increase the weight a commercial truck can transport, from 80,000 pounds to 90,000 pounds. The bill in the Georgia House and a separate bill in the Senate are very similar.

While many businesses and industries in Georgia support the measures, some say that the heavier trucks could lead to more road and bridge damage in the state and that the taxpayers of Georgia would ultimately pay. State Senator Colton Moore who represents Chattooga, Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties and is the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee says that he is considering an amendment to the bill that would require trucks hauling the heavier loads to have an extra axle to distribute the weight.

Moore is an over the road driver that hauls cattle out of state. Many agricultural producers in the state are supporting the bill and say it is more important now than ever with a nation-wide shortage of truck drivers.