Chris Spear

Breaking: Congress approves $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill

A historic, $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that folds in a reauthorization of the highway bill for the next five years — including a load of new provisions that affect trucking — is finally headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for signing.

After months of political gamesmanship between the progressive wing of the Democratic party in The House of Representatives and conservative Democrats in the Senate – both trying to use leverage to affect passage of the related budget reconciliation bill...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/congress-approves-12-trillion-infrastructure-bill

Trumka predicted passage of infrastructure bill in coming months

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, whose death was announced Thursday by the labor organization he led since 2009, warned that the economy was “at a crossroads” and stood a chance of slipping if lawmakers did not give more than lip service to passing an infrastructure bill this year.

In addition to creating jobs and lowering unemployment, “investing in roads and bridges and transit and climate mitigation and all of those things will make America stronger and more competitive,” Trumka, who was 72,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trumka-predicted-passage-of-infrastructure-bill-in-coming-months

Can taxing trucks on miles traveled work?

A user fee to raise money for roads and bridges that is based on the number of miles a truck travels is popular among policymakers but does not sit well with industry lobbyists.

Working the details

Unlike taxes on gasoline or diesel, a fee based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) “gets much closer to capturing the externalities and to approximating the road maintenance cost of each driver,” according to the Tax Foundation, an independent tax organization that has opposed increasing traditional...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-taxing-trucks-on-miles-travelled-work

ATA announces Virtual Truck Driving Championship

The American Trucking Associations recently launched a competition for the nation’s most professional drivers, the 2021 National Battle of the States: Virtual Truck Driving Championship. 

“Our industry has braved the front line, providing essential services and delivering goods to American households throughout the nation in the fight against COVID-19. It’s yet another reason to celebrate our industry heroes – truck drivers,” said ATA president and CEO Chris Spear in a statement. “The National...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ata-announces-virtual-truck-driving-championship

Trucking, labor haggle over driver work rules

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Teamsters union agree that truck driver fatigue is an issue, but the two organizations disagree on how to solve the problem.

Testifying on Tuesday at a Senate Commerce committee hearing on freight transportation issues, Lamont Byrd, director of the union’s safety and health department, told lawmakers that a big part of the problem are the changes made to the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations last year, which he says is resulting in drivers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-labor-haggle-over-driver-work-rules

Inspiring Leadership Towards a Greater Future — Taking the Hire Road

Chris Spear, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations (ATA), joined DriverReach founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer on this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road to discuss the highly debated DRIVE-Safe Act, ATA’s securement of federal “essential” status for carriers and ensuring facilities stay open throughout the pandemic.

“It’s mind-boggling to me that 49 states allow an 18-year-old to drive a Class 8 [truck] from El Paso, Texas, to Texarkana, Texas, and back with no problem, but you...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/inspiring-leadership-towards-a-greater-future-taking-the-hire-road

ATRI puts $20B price tag on vehicle-miles-traveled tax

New research released Wednesday from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that replacing the federal fuel tax with a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) tax could result in collection costs of more than $20 billion annually.

The main reason for that price tag – which is 300 times higher than the current cost to collect fuel taxes – is a “shift in collection points” from a limited number of fuel terminal operators to 272 million registered motor vehicles in the U.S.

The report...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/atri-puts-20b-price-tag-on-vehicle-miles-traveled-tax

Trucking groups condemn Capitol violence

Violent attack at U.S. Capitol

Trucking groups condemned the Wednesday attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, which left at least five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and many more injured. 

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Western States Trucking Association and the American Trucking Associations separately spoke out against the violence, casting it as an affront to U.S. democracy. 

“Certainly most people would agree that Wednesday was a sad day for American...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/trucking-groups-condemn-capitol-violence

Rhode Island truck-only tolls a key battleground going into 2021: ATA’s Spear

The battle over truck-only tolls in Rhode Island is one of the most significant political fights the trucking association will continue to face in the coming year, according to the head of the industry’s largest trade association.

Chris Spear, the CEO of the American Trucking Associations, said Monday in a webcast address as part of the group’s virtual annual meeting that rolling back the tolls is a “must win” for the industry. 

Spear noted that the tolls on Interstate 95, which he said can be...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rhode-island-truck-only-tolls-a-key-battleground-going-into-2021-atas-spear

IMO Bunker Fuel Mandate: CEOs Raise Concerns About Availability of Diesel and Other Fuels

According to an article published by Transport Topics, a group of industry stakeholders is urging the Trump administration to take action to ensure adequate supplies of fuel for freight and air travel and home heating in advance of a change in the type of fuel the maritime industry will use beginning next year.

Need for a smooth transition

“We believe there are tools at the administration’s disposal that can help ensure a smooth transition and protect American trucking companies, air...

http://mfame.guru/imo-bunker-fuel-mandate-ceos-raise-concerns-about-availability-of-diesel-and-other-fuels/

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