An American Trucking Associations official asked a congressional panel to set a national speed limit of 65 miles per hour, as part of a series of steps ATA said would support the trucking industry’s efforts to reduce fuel consumption and address the escalating cost of diesel.
ATA State Vice President Mike Card told the panel Tuesday that record diesel prices, combined with a downturn in the economy and softening demand for freight transportation, have left many trucking companies struggling to survive.
He asked Congress to create incentives to speed the introduction of auxiliary power units to reduce main engine idling, establish a 65 mph national speed limit and to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program, an industry-government partnership to boost more environmentally friendly technologies.
“Our industry can’t simply absorb this rapid increase in fuel costs,” Card said. “We must pass some of these costs through to our customers, which ultimately translate into higher prices on the store shelves.”
Card, whose Oregon trucking company operates more than 400 trucks, expects to spend more than $21.7 million on diesel fuel this year, up 26% increase from 2007. The trucking industry overall is on pace to spend $141.5 billion on fuel in 2008 — $29 billion more than last year, ATA said.
Card testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s highway subcommittee. At the same hearing, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said he wanted more transparency in freight brokers’ fuel surcharge practices, Bloomberg reported.
