White House Orders Temporary Lift in Cargo Weight Capacity for Trucks

White House Orders Temporary Lift in Cargo Weight Capacity for Trucks
LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS - JUNE 21: Semi trucks travel along I94 on June 21, 2019 near Lake forest, Illinois. The trucking industry in 2019 has experienced a drop in demand from 2018 and freight rates have fallen year over year for six months straight. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
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President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order to temporarily lift weight limits so trucks can carry more cargo, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Oct. 20.

A national shortage of truck drivers is worsening shipping bottlenecks that have created waiting lines for freighters at backlogged U.S. ports in recent weeks. The most recent study from the American Trucking Association (ATA) says the nation is short more than 60,000 drivers, and CNN reports ATA president and CEO Chris Spear says that number has now increased to 80,000.