OOIDA Finds Ups and Downs to Proposed Highway Reauthorization Bill from DOT

In response to a proposal for the next highway reauthorization bill, the GROW AMERICA Act, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) noted that “an initial examination finds at least two provisions that OOIDA believes could potentially have a positive impact on small-business truckers.”

The group continued: “However, the proposal’s lack of a long-term funding solution to improving highways and the embracing of nation-wide tolling of the interstate highway system are significant and fundamental flaws that will lead to negative consequences for all highway users and taxpayers.”

According to OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer, “In their effort to move forward on this critical issue, we appreciate the Administration’s sense of urgency to act before the Highway Trust Fund runs out. But we also would advise Congress to refrain from advancing negative provisions in the proposal, including those that would create a patchwork of state-controlled toll roads.”

As OOIDA points out, the proposal would open the door to a localized interstate system by allowing states to apply tolls to existing toll-free roads. It would also allow collected funds to be used for transportation costs other than highways and bridges, such as mass transit.

“Our interstate highways are the foundation of trucking and our nation’s interconnected modern economy,” said Spencer. “Truckers in states with ‘grandfathered’ tolling authorities already know the cost of tolls to their business and personal incomes, as well as to an efficient system of goods movement.”

The Association commends the Administration for including in the bill provisions to address the issue of truck driver compensation and detention time, as well as eliminating the self-insurance option for motor carriers.

This option allows the biggest and most profitable motor carriers to avoid buying insurance on the open market where prices are based upon risk, unlike the majority of the trucking industry which is made up of small businesses.

Category: General Update, Management