ATA’s call follows a letter from ATA President and CEO Bill Graves to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and their fellow conferees outlining ATA’s priorities:
• Preservation of the National Freight Program proposed by the Senate;
• Inclusion of the modest truck productivity provisions drafted by the House, as well as limiting of a potential study on truck productivity to one year, rather than six;
• Retention of the Bingaman amendments to protect highway users from expansion of risky infrastructure privatization schemes;
• Adoption of the Senate’s language calling for a full mandate for electronic onboard recorders;
• Including the House’s request for a full study of the restart provisions of the administration’s hours-of-service rules before those rules go into effect; and
• Prohibiting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from publishing a rule on carrier safety fitness before addressing serious flaws with its Compliance Safety Accountability program.
“ATA has been a consistent supporter of passing a long-term highway bill,” Graves said. “These provisions will advance the safety and efficiency of our highway system and bolster our still-recovering economy.”
