This research brief led by Dr. Haoran Li evaluates the potential benefits and costs of increasing ready mixed concrete (RMC) truck gross vehicle weight limits beyond current federal thresholds, while remaining within the trucks’ capacity. In many cases, current weight limits prevent trucks from operating at capacity. In a modeled case study of a Pennsylvania interstate, the team found that allowing heavier gross loads reduces the number of RMC trucks needed to deliver the same volume of concrete, lowering costs, GHG emissions, and fuel use without affecting pavement deterioration or the fuel use or performance of other vehicles.
