Motorists in Victoria could soon share the roads with trucks carrying bumper loads of more than 85 tonnes, almost 20 per cent heavier than is now permitted on most of the state's arterial routes.

The freight industry is pushing for a sharp increase in the maximum load a heavy vehicle can legally carry in Victoria, as a way to reduce transport costs and compete with other states that have already embraced higher mass limits.

Road transport operators want to be allowed to drive heavier vehicles on Victoria's roads. Their proposal would mean raising weight limits on Melbourne's West Gate Bridge. Credit:Pat Scala

The proposal is being considered by the Andrews government after some of Australia's biggest container transport companies put the request to Roads Minister Luke Donnellan last week.

But the mooted change could require major investment, because many of the state's bridges have not been built to tolerate such heavy loads, including on the West Gate and Monash freeways.