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November 22, 2000 10:18 AM, EST

The six-axle, 97,000-pound tractor-trailer that a group of shippers and truckers would like to run on Interstate highways closely resembles a 16-year-old concept called the Turner truck.

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The Turner truck got its name from former Federal Highway Administrator Francis Turner, who described it in a 1984 speech to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

In his speech, Turner called for vehicles with lower axle weights but higher gross weights than were then common. He saw a way to reduce pavement wear by spreading the vehicle weight over one or more additional axle groupings while increasing cargo capacity and the carrier’s productivity.

Responding to Turner’s suggestion, AASHTO asked the Transportation Research Board to undertake a study and advise the states whether the proposal should be put into effect.

For the full story, see the Nov. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. .