Tomorrow, your representatives in Washington will likely be visited by representatives from the American Trucking Associations and other big business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Home Depot, International Paper, and Kraft Foods. They are coming under the cover of “Standing Up for Trucking” – saying that they are simply there to promote the trucking industry as Congress begins work on a new highway bill. Unfortunately, what they are really lobbying for is a new bailout for big business – bigger and heavier trucks on our nation’s highways. Small business truckers have long opposed increasing limits on truck weights and lengths because we depend upon well maintained and safe highways for our lives and livelihoods. Bigger and heavier trucks will speed up damage to our roads and bridges, will force states and local communities to raise taxes and tolls to pay to repair that damage, and will lead to significant new cost increases for small business truckers. Additionally, the claimed “safety fixes” promised by the proponents of this change don’t work out on the road, especially when this bigger trucks are operated by inexperienced drivers. OOIDA members need to send a strong message: Big Trucking: Sit Down! The way you can do that is by contacting your representative in the House and both of your senators and tell them that the trucking industry is not united behind bigger and heavier trucks and as a trucker who makes their living behind the wheel, not as a trucking company executive who makes their living behind a desk, you oppose a truck size and weight increase and it should not be included in the next highway bill. To contact your lawmakers, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and provide the operator with your home zip code. The operator will connect you with the office of your Congressman. You are also welcome to call OOIDA at (800) 444-5791. Association staff will be happy to help put you in touch with your elected officials.
Tomorrow, your representatives in Washington will likely be visited by representatives from the American Trucking Associations and other big business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Home Depot, International Paper, and Kraft Foods. They are coming under the cover of “Standing Up for Trucking” – saying that they are simply there to promote the trucking industry as Congress begins work on a new highway bill. Unfortunately, what they are really lobbying for is a new bailout for big business – bigger and heavier trucks on our nation’s highways.
ReplyDeleteSmall business truckers have long opposed increasing limits on truck weights and lengths because we depend upon well maintained and safe highways for our lives and livelihoods. Bigger and heavier trucks will speed up damage to our roads and bridges, will force states and local communities to raise taxes and tolls to pay to repair that damage, and will lead to significant new cost increases for small business truckers. Additionally, the claimed “safety fixes” promised by the proponents of this change don’t work out on the road, especially when this bigger trucks are operated by inexperienced drivers.
OOIDA members need to send a strong message: Big Trucking: Sit Down! The way you can do that is by contacting your representative in the House and both of your senators and tell them that the trucking industry is not united behind bigger and heavier trucks and as a trucker who makes their living behind the wheel, not as a trucking company executive who makes their living behind a desk, you oppose a truck size and weight increase and it should not be included in the next highway bill.
To contact your lawmakers, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and provide the operator with your home zip code. The operator will connect you with the office of your Congressman.
You are also welcome to call OOIDA at (800) 444-5791. Association staff will be happy to help put you in touch with your elected officials.