ATA Says Infrastructure Is Top Priority in Year Ahead

New legislation to boost U.S. infrastructure — roads, highways and bridges — will be American Trucking Associations’ top priority in the coming year,  the Associated Press reported.

Speaking at the group’s annual Management Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, ATA President Bill Graves urged trucking companies to lend their support to the federal highway reauthorization bill in an effort to spur more infrastructure funding, AP reported.

“Although the timetable for debate is a moving target, as is often the case on Capitol Hill, it is nevertheless on the horizon and we have to be ready for it,” Graves said.

Graves said ATA is expanding initiatives on emissions reductions, to improve safety and to underline the basic importance of the trucking industry to the U.S. economy, AP reported.

He said that record fuel prices were still hurting trucking companies’ bottom lines, despite recent declines in oil prices, AP reported.