1978 Study Finds That Drivers Dislike Large Trucks

In June 1978, the Federal Highway Administration spent $222,000 — $934,000 in 2021 dollars – to study motorist’s attitudes toward large trucks, earning it a Golden Fleece Award from U.S. Sen. William Proxmire, a Democrat from Wisconsin.

Proxmire felt the survey was a waste of taxpayer funds because, in part, it was duplicative of other studies on trucks.

Among the questions asked to 2,430 drivers were: Do you consider large trucks to: contribute to traffic congestion? Block a driver’s vision? Travel too fast on highways? Travel too slow going up hills? Do you consider side splash from trucks on wet roads to be a problem? That the smoke and fumes from these trucks might be a problem?

“Let the record show that I am willing to donate my small car to the Federal Highway Administration for experimental purposes if the answer to these questions is not a resounding yes,” Proxmire said then. “In fact, when interviewed motorists find out how much is being spent on the survey, their anger at the Federal Highway Administration will exceed that toward the big trucks."

The survey came after a similar $1 million study a few years earlier on the effect of truck size and weight on accident experience and traffic operations, as well as a $298,000 study before that on the effects of truck size on driver behavior.

It is well established that many drivers dislike driving near large trucks and this third study, like those that came before it, did little to justify the cost to taxpayers.

The #WasteOfTheDay is presented by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.