[mjlee]

I don't disagree that large cars create externalities, but what proportion of costs scale with axle weight?

In the UK the most recent budget allocates £1.6 billion for maintenance. According to statista £13 billion was spent on roads last year.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298675/united-kingdom-uk...

[michaelt]

Basically, it’s well known that fully laden 44 tonne articulated lorries making sharp turns do a lot of damage to roads.

That’s who in industrial estates you’ll often find concrete roads, instead of tarmac, for lorries making 90 degree turns.

American style trucks might be big, but presumably they’re nowhere near 44 tonnes.

Of course, articulated lorries only drive on major roads; your average residential road gets no lorries, so all the wear is from smaller vehicles.

[jeltz]

44 tonnes is not that big. Sweden allows for the insane limit of 64 or 74 tonnes, depending on the road. American trucks are typically smaller than European.

[rascul]

> American style trucks might be big, but presumably they’re nowhere near 44 tonnes.

I believe the typical limit is 40 tons. I don't know if our tons are the same as your tonnes.