Going the extra mile: Truckers navigate rural weight limits

PEORIA, Ill. — Early spells of warm weather mean that truckers who use rural roads in Illinois had an added challenge.

“We’re used to these road postings for some towns and counties to not happen until late February. Now we’re starting to see them earlier,” said Rodney Knittel, associate director of transportation and infrastructure for Illinois Farm Bureau.

Knittel said the truckers and farmers who are particularly affected by the early road postings tend to be working in the livestock sector.

“It will make an impact, especially on our livestock haulers and feed haulers. It’s a big challenge, especially when we have to get animals into and out of farms,” said Knittel, who spoke while attending the 2024 Midwest Truck and Trailer Show, sponsored by the Mid-West Truckers Association.

Knittel said that transporting feed to farms and barns is vital and drivers oftentimes have to travel on roads that have posted seasonal weight limits.

“Animal welfare is the most important thing and feed and water are the two most important items for them. We have to get those to the farms, so working around those road postings can be very challenging,” he said.

Knittel had just heard a statewide road and bridge update from Omer Osman, the Illinois secretary of transportation.

Osman highlighted ongoing work on transportation infrastructure throughout the state as part of the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan.

“He talked a lot about bridges and infrastructure and that is a vital component for Illinois agriculture. He talked about bridge improvements and putting focus on the bridges that have a weight limit restriction,” Knittel said.

“Obviously, when we have weight restrictions in rural Illinois, it has the impact of a lot of extra miles added onto our travel. That is a key thing we keep an eye on at Illinois Farm Bureau.”

Knittel said IFB has been presenting a series of ongoing Rules for the Road seminars throughout the state.

“We’re here to learn about trucking regulations. Our ag exemptions are challenging and are sometimes hard for our members to understand. We have our Rules for the Road seminars in March,” he said.

“We are excited about getting out to our members with that information and working with the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Transportation.”

The schedule for the seminars is available at https://tinyurl.com/yc55urj3.

Knittel said that, so far, 2024 hasn’t thrown up any roadblocks in terms of new regulations.

“Knock on wood, so far it’s been a quiet year. We’re always keeping our eye out for anything new in terms of regulations, especially dealing with agriculture and hauling ag commodities,” he said.