Following a letter from ATA President and CEO Bill Graves to Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. John Mica and their fellow conferees outlining the priorities of the ATA, leaders of the ATA called on members of the conference committee, currently negotiating the highway bill, to address critical issues for the trucking industry.
According to a press release, the ATA asked the committee members to consider the following needs of the trucking industry.
- Preservation of the National Freight Program proposed by the Senate;
- Inclusion of the modest truck productivity provisions drafted by the House, as well as limiting of a potential study on truck productivity to one year, rather than six;
- Retention of the Bingaman amendments to protect highway users from expansion of risky infrastructure privatization schemes;
- Adoption of the Senate’s language calling for a full mandate for electronic onboard recorders;
- Including the House’s request for a full study of the restart provisions of the Administration’s hours-of-service rules before those rules go into effect;
- And prohibiting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from publishing a rule on carrier safety fitness before addressing serious flaws with its Compliance Safety Accountability program.
“ATA has been a consistent supporter of passing a long-term highway bill,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said. “These provisions will advance the safety and efficiency of our highway system and bolster our still-recovering economy.”
Drivers, what do you think? Are any of the ATA’s priorities on your list of trucking industry priorities? If not, what do you feel the highway bill should include?