On Wednesday, Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong joined U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, in Washington, D.C., in an effort to oppose the approval of bigger trucks on American’s streets and highways.

“Of course, the chiefs’ association here in Mississippi, along with many others groups, have long opposed the big trucks for many years,” Armstrong said.

However, a move is afoot to increase the length of double trailers from 28 to 33 feet, an effort that “has picked up steam over the last year or year and a half. The reason we oppose it is because it’s a highway safety issue. It would make it very dangerous on our roadways,” he said.

Further, Armstrong said if Congress approves a bill allowing for the longer double trailers, no state would have a say in the matter within its borders.

“If these trucks were being driven down a straight interstate, that’s one thing. But that’s not the case. Not only are they on interstate roads, but they will have to get on and off the interstate to pick up and drop off loads,” he said. “It is very difficult for them to negotiate our city streets and road. In fact, there are street in Vicksburg that it would be impossible for rigs that big to travel, not to mention the wear and tear on our roadways, that are already in a disrepair condition.”

Wednesday wasn’t Armstrong’s first trip to Washington to help drum up opposition on the issue.

“This was my second trip, along with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, and others who oppose the legislation. A lot of trucking associations also oppose it. That certainly speaks volumes for the issue at hand. The trucking association would benefit, and they don’t want it either,” he said. “I would have thought it would have been resolved before now by way of a vote against it.”

Within the last couple of years, Armstrong said an 18-wheeler driver traveling through Vicksburg on Interstate 20 headed eastbound lost control of his truck.

“He came across the median, tore out the barricades, went across the west bound lands and across the Frontage Road near The Vicksburg Post building and basically sat down on a car, killing the driver of the car, a local Vicksburg resident,” he said. “These rigs cover a large area, which we call a footprint, when they lose control. The heavier they are, the more likely they will involve injury or death when they go out of control. The ones lobbying for this are actually putting money over or before lives.”

Armstrong’s trip to Washington, in addition to being part of Wicker’s press conference, included a meeting on the subject with Wicker, U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, and U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Mississippi.

“Sen. Wicker has really been fighting very hard to make sure this doesn’t happen, as have Sen. Cochran, Rep. Thompson and others. We are going to continue to stay on top of this in the name of highway safety, before it’s too late.”