Trucking Group Salutes House Passage of Transportation Appropriations Bill

The American Trucking Associations (ATA_) applauded the House of Representatives for passing a Transportation and House and Urban Development Appropriations bill with two provisions that are critical for improving the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry.

“By including language requiring a more robust study of the hours-of-service restart restrictions originally imposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in July 2013, and a modest increase in the length of some truck combinations, the House has taken an important step in improving the safety of our highways, first and foremost, but also the efficiency of our highway system and the industry that moves nearly 70% of the nation’s goods,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.

The Fiscal Year 2016 THUD Appropriations bill requires FMCSA to demonstrate the July 2013 hours-of-service restart restrictions truly improve the health and safety of professional drivers. In addition, the legislation includes a provision that would allow carriers to utilize twin 33-foot trailers.  This, according to ATA, will  improve capacity and safety, without increasing truck weight limits.

What’s more, this modest change, the group noted, will reduce the number of truck trips needed to move the nation’s freight, cut emissions and reduce trucking’s exposure to crashes.

“The House has shown tremendous leadership in passing this bill and putting forward these important provisions,” Graves said, “and we now call upon the Senate to quickly pass a bill that follows that lead. Despite the ongoing misinformation campaign by critics of businesses in general and trucking in particular, these two provisions will make our highways safer and ensure our country’s economy is served by an efficient supply chain.”

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