Trucking contributions heavily favor Romney, GOP

Updated Nov 9, 2012

7988558013 4a0f4ea962 CThe trucking industry as a whole contributed $7.8 million in campaign contributions this election season, and 85 percent of it went to Republican candidates  — the largest percentage since 1990.

The GOP’s presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, earned nearly $3 million from the industry himself, pulling in $1.68 million in contributions gathered by American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves and another $911,820 from fleets, truck rental companies and truck and trailer manufacturers.

After Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry — a candidate in the Republican primaries, received $75,000 from the trucking industry and Democratic President Barack Obama received $63,796.

The Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association contributed $298,738, and $163,500 of that was designated for Republicans.

For the full story on trucking’s monetary contributions to the election, see Jill Dunn’s report on Overdrive sister site CCJ