Page 7 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 1 - Winter 2023

For the 2023 Session of the Georgia General Assembly, the GFA’s leadership and government affairs team has developed a set of legislative priorities that are designed to bring transformative change to the forest industry, which is adapting to economic challenges that have been exacerbated by inflationary pressure and the supply chain challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For the past five years, we have advo- cated for and successfully passed more than 14 pieces of legislation to increase the com- petitiveness of our entire sector by reducing supply chain inefficiencies and removing barriers to healthy markets,” said GFA President and CEO Andres Villegas. “A key to our success is strong support from our members through our ForestPAC and For- est Resource Teams (FORT), which allow us to ensure that our issues are front and center with Georgia law and policy makers.”
Increasing Allowable
Haul Weights on
State Roads
Georgia currently has the lowest truck weights in the Southeast, placing our state at a major economic disadvantage compared to neighboring states. This puts the trucking and logistics sector under enormous pressure today, not just for any one industry or commodity, but for the broader Georgia economy.
The GFA is joining a coalition of associa- tions and businesses representing a broad range of agricultural commodities as well as mining, construction and service industries. The Georgia Economic Competitiveness Coalition is advocating for an increase in the allowable gross vehicle weight from a base weight limit of 80,000 lbs. plus a 5% weight variance (or 84,000 lbs. total) to 80,000 lbs. plus a 12.5% variance (or 90,000 lbs. total). This change will put Georgia on par with surrounding states to ensure long-term economic com- petitiveness for all Georgia businesses.
• WHY IT MATTERS: The entire forestry supply chain is dependent on the ability to efficiently transport timber to the mill. During a time of historic inflation and labor shortages, increasing truck weights up to 90,000 lbs. across multiple industries would help counter these impacts by greatly reducing the number of trips and drivers needed to transport the same amount of material. This leads to millions of miles not traveled across roads and bridges, reducing operational costs for producers and increasing safety by reducing the frequency of trucks on the road.
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