American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear announced the members of a new infrastructure funding task force Dec. 12.
The 11 executives include Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express Inc. and chairman of American Trucking Associations; and Co-Chairmen Jim Burg, CEO of James Burg Trucking Co.; and David Congdon, CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line.
The task force also includes: Mike Ducker, CEO of FedEx Freight; Eric Fuller, chief operating officer of U.S. Xpress Inc.; Neal Kedzie, president, of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association; Rich McArdle, president of UPS Freight; Dennis Nash, CEO of Kenan Advantage Group; Tonn Ostergard, CEO of Crete Carrier Corp.; John Smith, chairman of CRST International Inc.; and Paul Will, chairman of Celadon Group Inc.
“I announced the formation of this group in October as part of my first State of the Industry address, with an eye on launching the effort in early 2017, but with infrastructure spending likely to be one of the first policy efforts undertaken by the incoming Trump Administration, the time is right to begin this important work now,” Spear said. “These individuals have been asked by the leadership of ATA to evaluate all potential sources of funding for our roads and bridges. While this does not mean we are abandoning our historic support for the fuel tax or opposition to tolling existing highways, it does mean that we will be looking at alternatives to help the new administration develop long-term, sustainable infrastructure funding.”
The task force will meet for the first time Dec. 19.
“Having well-maintained, congestion-free highways is very important to our industry,” Burch said. “Trucks move 70% of the nation’s goods, and while our industry already pays a significant amount in state and federal user fees, we are prepared to contribute more because it is an investment in safety and efficiency. This task force will point the way for ATA as the nation debates the important question of how to pay for these important projects.”
