He ain't heavy, he's my trucker

A proposed new federal rule would allow heavy trucks with an extra axle (six instead of the standard five) to exceed the present rule which limits trucks to a gross vehicle weight of 80,000 lbs.  The new limit would be 97,000 lbs, and according to the story I read, trucks as heavy as 126,000 lbs. would be allowed on some roads.  On the surface, it seems like a no brainer.  Canada has allowed those trucks for years, except during spring thaws which make the roads succeptable to damage by excessively loaded trucks.  However, a closer look at the trucking fleet and the drivers of said trucks is cautionary to say the least.  Because of fiscal constraints, maintenance of most trucks in the US is spotty at best.  Witness the peeled remnants of heavy truck tires littering the interstates.  The drivers are generally low paid and overworked and loathe to abide the stringent log book rules which cut even further into their pay.  Many already exceed weight limits on loads that pay by the pound hauled.  So you have a perfect storm of scary possibilities.  Tired, overworked drivers, trucks in various stages of disrepair, and the incentive to load as much as possible on each vehicle.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict the carnage that will ensue.