'The trucking industry has consistently delivered for members of congress who have asked for our support in advancing a long-term surface transportation bill; so now we hope the conferees will complete a bill that moves us all towards safer, less congested highways.' ATA Chairman Dan England, chairman of C.R. England, Salt Lake City, said. 'Trucks move more than two-thirds of the nation's goods, and we need help from our elected leaders to continue improving our industry's impressive record on safety and efficiency.'
ATA's call follows a letter from ATA President and CEO Bill Graves to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and their fellow conferees outlining the priorities of America's leading trucking industry group.
Among those priorities:
' 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.'