Virginia Loggers Association President Vance Wright and board member Frank Myers, along with Executive Director Ron Jenkins, met with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture & Forestry Sam Towell, VDOT Commissioner Charlie Kilpatrick and DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb on March 11, 2016 to discuss increasing the hauling weights for forest products on Interstate highways in Virginia. Frank and Vance provided important business background and support for Virginia’s forest products industry, the third largest contributor to Virginia’s economy. Logging / Harvesting businesses can now legally haul a maximum of 90,000 pounds of forest products on Virginia’s secondary highway system, but while travelling on Interstate highways must reduce their loads to 80,000. This meeting was very important for business owners in the harvesting / logging industry to tell their story. The Commissioners and Deputy Secretary Towell listened thoughtfully to our concerns and provided very helpful feedback and ideas. The Virginia Loggers Association will meet with its Congressional representatives in Washington, D. C. on April 14 & 15, 2016.