A highway bill in the US Congress that could pass soon would enact new federal standards that would let tractor trailers to be bigger than ever.

The length of the new double trailers, which now stands at 28 feet, could be increased to 33 feet. Also, the age requirement for tractor trailer drivers to go across state lines would be dropped to 18.

The trucking industry supports these new rules, saying that they will boost productivity and save fuel. However, the Truck Safety Coalition and several truck crash victims and their families have been lobbying Capitol Hill to not allow the changes.

One of the crash victims on the Hill last week stated that a tractor trailer slammed into her car and propelled her off of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. She dropped 30 feet into the water, but she was able to get out of her car safely. It was found later that the truck driver was distracted when the accident occurred.

Our Virginia trucking accident lawyer team sees all too many catastrophic crashes involving trucks and innocent car drivers. The trucking lobby is always trying to pressure Congress to ease restrictions and to make it easier for the trucking companies to make more money.

We do not want to see big rigs get even bigger on our highways, especially when you consider all of the truck accidents that happen that are due to distracted truckers, fatigued truckers, and even truckers that abuse drugs and alcohol. The last thing we need is for their rigs to get even bigger and more deadly.

We also strongly question whether an 18 year-old driver really has the maturity and experience to drive a big rig at all, let alone on long, state to state routes.

Anyone who is ever injured by a negligent trucker should work with a law firm that does nothing but death and injury cases. That firm also should be accustomed to dealing with all relevant federal safety regulations that apply to the trucking industry.