Trucking Laws · New Jersey · October 29, 2026

New Jersey Bill Would Study Lower Truck Weight Limits on State Highways; Truckers Face No Change Yet

By Big Rig Daily Staff · Updated Oct 29, 2026, 8:13 a.m. PT

New Jersey lawmakers are looking at truck weight limits from the opposite direction of many truck weight debates. Senate bill S3519 would require the New Jersey Department of Transportation to study whether the state should lower commercial truck weight limits on state highways as far as federal law allows, Land Line reported on Oct. 28.

What the bill does

Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Totowa, is backing the bill. Once the study is done, the transportation commissioner would have to send a written report to the governor and state lawmakers. The bill would not lower weight limits right away. Any changes would depend on the study's findings and on what state officials do next, and current weight limits stay in place until then.

Why lawmakers are looking at it

The debate centers on aging roads and bridges that take a beating from heavy loads, and on the challenge of enforcing weight limits in one of the nation's busiest freight corridors. New Jersey uses the Federal Bridge Formula to set weight limits based on a truck's axle count and spacing, with the aim of spreading the load. Some older state and local bridges have limits well below the standard 80,000-pound federal cap, Land Line said, and some local bridges may have limits as low as 15 tons. Truckers who leave major highways to avoid traffic may find roads with lower limits.

Sen. Patrick Diegnan, D-Middlesex, said overweight trucks are a bigger problem than many people realize. "Federal law limits tractor-trailers to 80,000 pounds, yet almost a quarter of the trucks in the state exceed this restriction," he said. "This causes significant damage to New Jersey's transportation infrastructure, particularly our bridges." That figure is the senator's statement, and Land Line did not give a source for it.

The wider debate

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association warns that heavier trucks could raise safety risks and stress roads and bridges. Corrado joined a group that sent a letter to Congress in September 2025 opposing heavier trucks. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association also opposes federal proposals to raise truck weights or lengths, arguing that towns and counties could face added repair costs.

New Jersey has looked at weight enforcement before. S3519 goes a step further by asking whether the limits themselves should come down.

Quick facts

• Bill: S3519, backed by Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa).
• What it requires: a state study on whether to lower truck weight limits on state highways, then a written report to the governor and lawmakers.
• What it does not do: change any weight limit now.
• Federal limit for tractor-trailers: 80,000 pounds.

Big Rig Daily has also covered a New Jersey bill on truck GPS, low bridges and weight limits. To see what a truck weighs, read how much a semi weighs and try the truck weight and axle calculator.

A question for readers

Should a state study lower weight limits, or leave limits to federal rules?

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