ATA Pushes Legislative Agenda for Safety, Highway Funding
American Trucking Associations is calling on Congress and federal policymakers to act on a list of issues in 2014 that ATA said would improve the nation’s economy and make highways safer.
Among the top concerns is to “identify sustainable, efficient and reliable funding for our nation’s roads and bridges rather than seeking out the ’easy money’ of tolls and privatization,” ATA said in its Jan. 8 call for action.
Congress is scheduled to write a new transportation reauthorization funding law this year, as the existing law, MAP-21, expires Sept. 30.
ATA also said there are important safety technology rules that need to be finalized, among them specifications on devices that electronically log driver hours and govern the speed of trucks.
“This time of year is a good one for self-reflection and analysis,” ATA President Bill Graves said. “We hope our leaders in Washington will take the necessary steps to make our roads safer and improve the flow of goods in our economy.”
“January is a time when we take stock of where we stand and set goals for the coming year,” ATA Chairman Philip Byrd Sr., president of Bulldog Hiway Express, “and we sincerely hope that our government leaders will take some time to reflect and to take these common sense, and in some cases, long-delayed actions to improve highway safety, the environment and the efficiency of our economy.”
