How much will this cost us?

Francesca Knowles wrote:

bid_time wrote:
Increasing the load by 12.5% increases the road wear by 42% - BULL!!

THERE IS NO STATISTIC TO BACK UP THAT HYPOTHESIS.

Well, yes, there is/are; though it's not a "hypothesis", it's a plain fact. If anything, it actually understates the impact. I s'pose there are national variables due to weather etc.

For those who understand enough engineering/"non linear" math to absorb the data, here's a link to a fully annotated/backed up document. It's from Minnesota, and represents one of the studies that finds the damage increase to be even greater than that estimated above. Do please note the language per "geometric rate". Damage isn't straight-line related to beginning number.

A conventional five-axle tractor-semitrailer operating at 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) is equivalent to about 2.4 ESALs.
If the weight of this vehicle were increased to 90,000 pounds (a 12.5 percent increase), its ESAL value goes up to 4.1 (a 70.8 percent increase), because pavement damage increases at a geometric rate with weight increases.

Link to source

So if it is larger long haul trucks beating up the roads I would suggest higher road use taxes for Trucks. I am aware we will all cover those costs in cost of goods. So be it. As has been stated maybe more goods will travel by Rail?