A flurry of legislation and other proposals under consideration in the nation’s capital could have a significant impact on the trucking industry. Last week, I had the privilege of joining a number of industry representatives for meetings with key lawmakers.
Among those we met with were Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman, authors of the Safe Roads Act. The measure would strengthen efforts to keep truck drivers who have tested positive for drugs or alcohol from deceiving carriers and continuing to drive. The American Trucking Association has praised its planned centralized clearinghouse, but Safe Roads has failed to pass once before.
Pryor is also among the coauthors of a bill requiring Electronic On-Board Recorders, or EOBRs, on all trucks to track hours-of-service rules. As you know, the legislation comes amid the FMCSA’s proposed changes to HoS.
Other topics we discussed on Capitol Hill included a fuel tax, highway funding and, of course, the overall budget and national debt.
What’s on your mind? We’d love to know.
