Crawford & Carbajal Introduce Legislation to Make Transporting Dry Goods More Efficient

Today, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR-01) and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) introduced H.R. 2920, the VARIANCE Act, which allows for a 10 percent shift in weight variance along the axles of tank trucks carrying dry goods, without any increase in the overall federal gross vehicle weight (GVW) limit. 

Under current law, when stopped at a weigh station, a truck’s weight must be “evenly” distributed among each of the axles. However, with dry bulk goods, even when packed properly, the material often moves around in the tank causing the weight on each axle of the vehicle to be different. The VARIANCE Act allows for a shift in variance, as long as the overall weight of the tank truck does not exceed 80,000 pounds. This will ensure trucks don’t have to unnecessarily reduce their loads.

“Arkansas’s agriculture industry relies on the timely transport of goods to their end destination,” said Congressman Crawford. “These dry goods will inevitably shift in the transport process and current law must account for the unique characteristics of the goods being transported. This legislation is a commonsense solution for truckers transporting dry bulk by giving more flexibility. I appreciate Congressman Carbajal joining me to lead this effort to create more efficiency in transporting our nation’s key dry goods.”

“Providing this variance standard will give trucks more flexibility to transport critical products while ensuring they are still meeting safe weight limits,” said Rep. Carbajal. “The VARIANCE Act is a bipartisan solution that will go a long way toward lowering costs for consumers and reducing congestion on our highways.”

“The National Tank Truck Carriers would like to thank Representative Crawford and Representative Carbajal for their leadership in introducing the VARIANCE Act in the U.S. House of Representatives,” stated Ryan Streblow, President and CEO of National Tank Truck Carriers. “NTTC applauds their efforts to authorize a 10% axle variance for dry bulk goods, which has been an important legislative priority for NTTC. This simple, commonsense solution that allows carriers to maximize payloads of materials such as grains, feeds, and plastics, without raising the federal maximum laden weight or disrupting the bridge formula. By accounting for product shift during transit, this legislation acknowledges the operational realities of dry bulk carriers and represents a significant step toward a more efficient transportation network. It will help reduce stress on the supply chain, alleviate highway congestion, and enhance safety and efficiency. We are grateful for the strong support from Representative Crawford and Representative Carbajal and for their commitment to addressing this critical issue for the North American tank truck industry.”

Read the bill text here. 

Read the one-pager on the bill here.