As it stands now, truckers say they cannot increase their presence on highways because of a congressionally-imposed freeze on truck sizes and weights that railroads won during the early 1990s. But organizations representing bulk shippers want legislation to open rail competition. A bill could be in the Senate as early as next month. However, Senate leadership has shown little interest for any substantive policy changes on this front (MTR #206).

The American Trucking Association (ATA) has recently entered into the mix, according to the Journal of Commerce, joining the debate that has pitted the Association of American Railroads, which wants no changes to current law or regulatory policy, against rail industry customers who claim they're captive to monopolistic service. ATA plans to meet with railroad and truck groups to discuss the competitive access issue that has emerged in the wake of widespread rail service problems in 1997 and 1998 and has acquired urgency because of the burgeoning economy and its need to move more goods than ever.

Although ATA has not taken a side in the debate, it's expected that if the rail competition issue heats up, it will likely argue that shippers require more options and seek to re-inject the issue of truck size and weight back into the legislative arena. The ATA recently endorsed a bid for congressional hearings by governors of five Western states - Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota - who are seeking to allow bigger trucks and longer tandem-trailers in their states.