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New Minnesota law allows 10 percent weight increase for smaller milk trucks

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has signed a new law allowing a 10 percent weight increase to single-unit milk trucks.

Minnesota Milk Producers Association executive director Lucas Sjostrum says the measure benefits smaller dairies and farms located in hillier parts of the state.

“Where they have really small farmyards and they need to get in, get that milk, and get out of the farm in a pretty small manner.  The semi trailer-type trucks wouldn’t make it down the hills.”

He tells Brownfield the 10 percent over-the-road allowance stipulates milk trucks observe bridge limits and recommended tire load weights.

“We’d love to get to a place where we’re regulating our milk trucks by axle instead of by total weight, which is how they’re currently regulated.  But that’s very dangerous for bridges, so we need to make sure we’re avoiding any bad bridges.  But as long as we have enough axles underneath our heavy milk trucks, it’s actually just fine or (even) great for the roads.”

Minnesota Milk is also applauding a separate measure allowing milk trucks of any size to travel on the interstate as part of a federal transportation bill which defined milk as a non-divisible load.