On Saturday, March 11, the State of Emergency Executive Order for Supply Chain Disruptions expired, officially returning the legal gross vehicle weight for trucks hauling raw forest products to 84,000 lbs. (or 80,000 lbs. + a 5% variance).
- Keeping Georgia #1: In order to curb the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Brian Kemp’s State of Emergency Executive Order was signed on March 13, 2020, and renewed 32 times — providing trucks hauling forest products and other goods to apply for a permit to haul at 95,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight for the past three years.
- What we are saying: “Governor Kemp’s leadership in signing and renewing the State of Emergency Executive Order kept many forestry businesses alive and growing through unprecedented cost increases, scarcity of goods and services, and a continued shortage of labor,” GFA President & CEO Andres Villegas said.
- What happens next? The expiration of the permits issued under the Executive Order will result in a 11,000 lb. decrease in payload for log trucks. This loss of hauling capacity will have an immediate impact on the forestry supply chain, causing:
- 17% increase in trips
(or 300,000 trips) to meet current annual demand - Increased demand for more drivers
(78,000 nationwide driver shortage) - More trucks on the road
($120,000 average cost for a new semi truck) - Limited Timber Sales
Higher costs make hauling timber from long distances less attractive
- 17% increase in trips
It is time for us to take action! The State House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 189, which will provide a modest gross vehicle weight increase of 4,000 lbs. to 88,000 lbs. (or 80,000 lbs. + 10% variance) to put forestry, poultry, agricultural and mining operations on equal footing with Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee.
Click here to learn more about House Bill 189. To become a member of the Georgia Forestry Association, click here or contact Tim Miller at tim@gfagrow.org or 478-992-8110.