Bridges not Bumpers Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Latimer
In Committee
Summary
Improve bridge clearance data sharing and routing for large vehicles. This bill would create a federal working group, a national clearinghouse, and a grants program to reduce bridge strikes by improving GPS routing, driver education, rental vehicle labeling, and public-private data sharing.
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- Renters and rental companies: Would require covered rental vehicles to be clearly labeled with height and weight and would require rental companies to notify renters about vehicle height and to warn them to watch for road signs.
- Commercial drivers and carriers: Would support a national education campaign and stronger driver training on bridge strikes and would consider adding bridge-strike material to commercial driver's license tests.
- State and local transportation agencies, GPS makers, and railroads: Would convene a working group to share bridge clearance and truck route data and to resolve liability and funding questions. It would create a National Clearinghouse and authorize $5.0 million for it and $5.0 million per year in grants for FY2026–2030 to fund mitigation research and projects in high-incidence states.
*Would increase federal spending by about $30.0 million, including a $5.0 million clearinghouse and $5.0 million per year for grants from FY2026–2030.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
DOT working group on bridge clearances
This bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to set up a Bridge Clearance Strike Working Group. The group would include FHWA, FRA, FMCSA, State DOTs, trucking groups, GPS makers, law enforcement, rental vehicle companies, and railroad carriers. The group would make recommendations on GPS routing for commercial vehicles, liability for shared data, driver education and CDL testing, labeling and renter notice for covered rental vehicles, and funding to add clearance and truck-route data to GPS tools. The bill would define a "covered rental vehicle" as a vehicle (not a truck tractor) with a GVWR of at least 5,700 pounds, rented without a driver for under 4 months, and part of a rental fleet of 5 or more vehicles. The Secretary would have to issue regulations to implement the group's recommendations not later than 1 year after the group issues them.
GPS companies immune for government data
This bill would make a GPS administrator immune from civil lawsuits for any injury that results from including bridge, tunnel, or underpass clearance heights when that clearance information was provided by a State or the Federal Government. The immunity would only cover injuries tied to inclusion of government-supplied clearance-height data.
Bridge strike clearinghouse and grants
This bill would create a National Clearinghouse for Bridge and Tunnel Clearance Strikes modeled on NCHRP 08-139. It would authorize $5,000,000 to set up and run the clearinghouse. The bill would also create a grant program using the clearinghouse to fund research to identify locations for mitigation, do preliminary engineering, and assess countermeasures. Eligible recipients would include State DOTs, local governments, MPOs, Class II and III railroads, and transportation safety organizations, and priority would go to places the Secretary finds have a high incidence of strikes. The bill would authorize $5,000,000 for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030 for that grant program.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Latimer
NY • D
Cosponsors
Bresnahan
PA • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7]
PA • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2]
MD • D
Sponsored 12/11/2025
Rep. Himes, James A. [D-CT-4]
CT • D
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Riley (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 12/19/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 12/19/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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