New Jersey Proposes New Truck Routing Restrictions

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ne month after the Supreme Court denied to hear a case concerning a New Jersey regulation that sought to relegate truck traffic to major highways, the state is proposing new truck routing restrictions.

The proposed law would restrict trucks wider than 102 inches and those hauling double trailers to a “National Network” of roads comprised of Interstate highways, the Atlantic City Expressway and the New Jersey Turnpike, the State transportation department said Friday in a statement.

Trucks would be permitted to leave the National Network and travel on a “New Jersey Access Network,” which is made up of smaller state highways and local roads, only to seek food, fuel, repairs, rest, shelter or to access a terminal.

The state’s previous truck restriction, which was ruled unconstitutional in February by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, banned vehicles without an in-state origin or destination from traveling on roads without lanes at least 11 feet wide. (Click here for previous coverage.)

By contrast, the new rules apply to both interstate and intrastate commerce.

The new routing restrictions are slated to appear in the Dec. 18 New Jersey Register, after a 60-day public comment period.