Fuel tax and road use
Abstract
Loaded log trucks are commonly seen on Alabama’s state and county highways. In fact, 1.648 million truck loads of roundwood were harvested in Alabama in 2015. Many gallons of diesel fuel are used in transporting Alabama’s unprocessed forest products, but the majority of the diesel fuel taxes collected aren’t used to support and maintain the roads that loaded log trucks use. Two routes were examined to compare and contrast the impact of time, mileage, and weight restrictions. One route included interstate highway travel and the other avoided the interstate. Safety considerations were also explored.