Provision would jeopardize safety, make it hard for smaller truckers to compete, executives say. The chief executives of 15 leading truckload carriers have asked the Senate to oppose language in fiscal-year 2016 appropriations legislation requiring states to permit the use of longer twin trailers on all of the nation’s highways. In a letter sent late last week to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee’s transportation, housing, and urban development subcommittee, and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, the CEOs said that legislation forcing states to accept 33-foot twin trailers would impair highway safety and accelerate wear and tear on the nation’s roads. Federal law in place since 1982 limits the length of twin trailers to 28 feet each, though 18 states permit longer trailers on their portions of the interstate highway system. In the letter, the CEOs said the proposal would "make it very difficult for small trucking companies, which are at the heart of our industry, to compete." They advised Congress to move deliberately, saying there "has not been sufficient dialogue around this measure to truly understand the unintended consequences it would have." The signers include the CEOs of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., Heartland Express Inc., Celadon Group Inc., KLLM Transport Services, Knight Transportation Inc., and Swift Transportation Corp., among others. CEOs of 16 trucking firms signed the letter, including Charles Hammel, the president of Pitt Ohio, a carrier involved in truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), and parcel delivery operations. The letter comes as the Senate considers whether to include the language in the FY 2016 appropriations for the Department of Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and related agencies. The House has approved its version of so-called "THUD" appropriations legislation that incorporates the measure. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up […]