A Washington think tank is encouraging the federal government to proceed with a legislatively mandated national pilot program to explore the viability of a vehicle-miles-traveled fee.

Trucking industry stakeholders continue to push back on Sen. John Cornyn’s suggestion of a nationwide transportation fee that would exclusively be levied on commercial vehicles.

A Senate proposal to impose a vehicle-miles-traveled fee exclusively on commercial vehicles drew a strong rebuke from the leaders in the trucking industry.

Last month, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released "A Practical Analysis of a National VMT Tax System" which breaks down the benefits and the costs of instituting a national vehicles-miles-traveled fee system that would levy a per-mile charge on drivers

One year since the COVID-19 pandemic caused vehicle travel and associated fuel tax revenue to plummet, recovery has been on a slow but positive trajectory.

Rep. Sam Graves, the top Republican on the U.S. House transportation panel, is calling on fellow policymakers to consider funding certain highway programs with revenue from fees collected on the miles vehicles travel.

The administrative costs of a national vehicle-miles-traveled fee system represent a more complicated picture than the costs associated with financing mechanisms such as the federal fuel tax, according to a recent analysis from the American Transportation Research Institute.

About $2.6 billion in revenue would have been generated in 2017 if commercial trucks were taxed at a rate of 1 cent per mile, and compliance reached a rate of 90%, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office.

For years now, policymakers have sought a viable funding alternative to the federal fuel tax. Since raising the gas and diesel taxes continues to be an unpopular approach to funding infrastructure, most vocal members of the U.S. Congress have discussed a vehicle-miles-traveled fee as an alternative. Here's your Capitol Agenda look at the week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the congressional committees tasked with crafting an infrastructure policy bill continue to disagree over a sustainable approach for ensuring the country’s transportation network is funded long term.