The Nation

American Trucking Associations (ATA) CEO Chris Spear and Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) Executive Lewie Pugh testified before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety Feb. 4. The subcommittee called the hearing to provide stakeholders to offer their views on the state of the U.S. trucking industry. Both organizations’ leadership touched on numerous issues facing the trucking industry, as well as providing some broad insight into potential solutions – temporary and long-term. Chris Spear provided an overview of ATA’s top priorities and steps Congress could take to improve highway safety, increase job opportunities in the industry, and upgrade infrastructure. On the other hand, as noted by OOIDA following the hearing, Lewie Pugh used his time to deliver a “blunt message” to committee members. Spear told the committee members investigations indicate that in 72% of traffic accidents involving large trucks, the driver of another vehicle is at fault. Speeding and distracted driving is a “growing addiction,” fueled by drivers who text while driving. He also said the ATA opposes the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) proposal to reduce the safety spectrum for transportation purposes. He also called on the Department of Health and Human Services to comply with a law requiring the agency to prepare a rule allowing hair testing for controlled substances. OOIDA’s Lewie Pugh called on the committee to reject some proposals that he called “meaningless.” Specifically, he noted requirements for speed limiters, mandates calling for front and side underride guards and increased insurance premiums. Unlike ATA, Pugh stated that OOIDA does not support the DRIVE-Safe Act, a measure allowing under-21 drivers to engage in interstate commerce. This stance is contradictory to that of ATA. According to Chris Spear, “Forty-eight states currently allow an 18-year-old to drive a Class 8 commercial vehicle, making it legal to drive an 850 mile stretch of California.” “Yet, it is federally illegal driving from Providence, Rhode Island, to Rehoboth, Massachusetts,” a 10-mile trip. He said the DRIVE-Safe Act requires young drivers to serve a 400-hour apprenticeship, including training in safety technology. Forty-eight states, do not require this training period for young drivers receiving intrastate CDLs. The Act will both increase job opportunities for recent high school graduates and offer a step toward improving safety on the highways. OOIDA, on the other hand, opposes the Act. On the issue of infrastructure, booth organizations agreed that Congress must move quickly to fund new and improved roads throughout the country. Spear said, “Trucking now loses $70 billion each year sitting in congestion. He compared the time wasted in traffic delays to be the equivalent of 425,000 drivers idling for a year. The idling time results in “67 million tons of CO2 being emitted. Passenger vehicle drivers now lose $1,600 a year due to traffic and repairs. These are the mounting costs of doing nothing.” While OOIDA agreed with the need for infrastructure improvements, the organization did not provide a specific proposal. ATA, on the other hand, reemphasized the need for Congress to consider it Build Amer Fund (BAF) proposal. Spear said BAF is a cost-effective near-term solution to address infrastructure issues. The proposal BAF has already been presented to Congress. “The BAF would be supported with a new 20 cent per gallon fee built into the price of transportation fuels collected at the terminal rack, to be phased in over four years,” Spear said. He added that the proposal includes provisions to index the fee for inflation and improvements in fuel efficiency. ATA estimates BAF to generate almost $340 billion over the first 10 years. The funds will mostly be paid by commercial carriers and independent drivers, costing drivers of passenger vehicles an average of approximately $100 annually following the four-year phase-in period. Likewise, Spear recommended hybrid and electric cars pay some fee to contribute to highway maintenance as the owners of these vehicles do not pay fuel taxes. As OOIDA noted, Lewie Pugh delivered a “blunt message” to the subcommittee. “It’s time to listen to the hard-working men and women that drive for a living. If you ask most drivers what Congress has done recently to improve the profession, the answer is ‘nothing.’” Pugh added that Washington allows executives whose jobs are to maximize profits to overly influence trucking policy. Not all the blame rests with executives, Pugh said. Others holding too much influence on trucking policy include activists wanting to regulate truckers, state and local governments viewing truckers as revenue sources and ‘experts’ who know little about the industry. Pugh called on Congress to repeal “the failed ELD mandate” and the Fair Labor Standards Act provisions to exempt truck drivers from receiving overtime pay. Both changes would make a “positive difference” in the trucking industry, he said. Pugh also encouraged the committee to “abandon meaningless, unproven and unsafe proposals. Like ATA, OOIDA also advocated for funding to increase truck parking capacity and repair highway infrastructure; however, the organization did not offer a funding proposal. David Heller, Vice President of the Truckload Carriers Association, commented on the hearing. “The overall theme of the hearing was the safety ramifications of all the topics being discussed in today’s trucking industry,” he said. “The presentations were really well done. They all directly addressed the topics at hand and everyone had the opportunity to tell their side of the story. I was glad to see the two senators who chaired the hearing had done their homework and were well versed on the industry.” Others testifying at the hearing included Dawn King, President of the Truck Safety Coalition; Jake Parnell, Manager of the Cattleman’s Livestock Market, a committee of the Livestock Marketing Association; Sgt. John Samis of the Delaware State Police and President of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

PLOVER, Wis. — The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) is recognizing a third-generation female truck driver, Jacinda Duran, as its February 2020 Member of the Month. Duran has been around trucking her entire life. With many family members in the industry, she said it was inevitable that she would be too. Her mother was a professional truck driver for 23 years and often took Duran with her on the job. Her father drove dump trucks and cement trucks. Her grandmother hauled produce in California for more than 50 years. Her grandfather did his truck driving in the 1950s. They even have a relative who appeared on the television series, Shipping Wars. Ten years ago, Duran started her logistics career at FedEx Express as a courier, then transitioned into big rigs in 2014. She has experience driving limos, buses, charter buses and everything in between. Today, Duran drives enclosed car carriers for Plycar Transportation, based in Kings Park, New York. The company recruited her after seeing her social media page, Jacinda Lady Truckin. They recognized that her passion for trucking was a great fit for their elite trucking team. Through Plycar’s six-week training program, Duran learned to transport, load and unload one-of-a-kind cars and became the company’s first solo female driver. For the past year, Duran has driven from coast to coast and in all 48 states. She says the best thing about her job is the freedom. She continues to inspire women to reach for the stars through her social media platform. She makes every day an adventure and continues to explore the country. “I stay out on the road for a long period of time, living in my truck. I get to travel the country, seeing friends, making new friends and living the best life out on the road. I am blessed and thank God every day for my health, my life and my blessings,” said Duran. Duran is the mother of two children. Her daughter is in nursing school at Northern Arizona University and her son is a cadet in the U.S. Air Force Academy, obtaining a degree in Aero Engineering.

LANSING, Mich. — A state panel on Thursday authorized borrowing $3.5 billion to roughly double spending on Michigan road and bridge construction over five years, a step Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said is crucial to start quickly addressing crumbling infrastructure but not a long-term fix. The State Transportation Commission, which is split evenly among Democrats, Republicans and independents, unanimously endorsed the Democratic governor’s plan a day after she unveiled it in her State of the State speech. The bonds will boost spending on state roads — I-, U.S.- and M-numbered routes — to $7.3 billion between now and September 2024, from more than $3.8 billion. “Over the long haul we believe we will actually be saving money as a result of this. It’s an important component of any strategy to fix a crisis as big as the one that we’re confronting,” Whitmer said. She stressed that the additional spending can only go toward the worst state roads and bridges, not ones overseen by local agencies. “I’m hopeful that the Legislature will get serious about moving forward. I am eager and happy to engage in those talks whenever they are,” Whitmer said. She does not intend to unveil a new permanent road-funding proposal nearly a year after the Republican-controlled Legislature blocked her proposed 45-cents-a-gallon fuel tax increase. GOP legislative leaders worried that she left the public with the impression that bonding is the solution, even though she clearly said it is not long-term funding. “I’m concerned that we’ve now got people convinced that she’s magically found money that can take care of roads, and that’s not the case at all,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, of Clarklake. Whitmer said the Rebuilding Michigan bond proceeds will add or expand 122 major projects, fix high-traffic highways and other roads with the greatest economic impact, save money by avoiding higher construction costs and rebuild rather than patch pavement. Seventy-three future projects will start and end sooner under the revised five-year plan; 49 others will involve rebuilding roads rather than resurfacing them, so that they last longer. It was unclear if or when Whitmer and Republicans may resume road-funding talks that broke down in September and led to a months-long budget impasse. Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield chafed at Whitmer’s claim that they had never countered with a “serious” proposal. They said the state could remove the sales tax on fuel — which primarily goes to schools and municipalities and is not levied in many other states — and pass an equivalent per-gallon tax at the pump dedicated to roadwork, raising $900 million with no tax hike. Funding for education and local governments could stay intact, they said, if the state refinanced and delayed the repayment of debt in the school employees’ retirement system. “That’s on the table and she needs to respond to that,” Shirkey said. Whitmer has opposed such a move because it would generate less than the net $1.9 billion she sought and she has concerns about the impact on K-12 funding. “I don’t consider (it) a serious solution because it’s not full, it’s not dedicated. … You can’t make one problem worse to make a little bit of improvement on another,” she said. Chatfield, of Levering, pointed to how Whitmer, in her address, said drivers on state roads should know that her administration is fixing them. “She is wanting a loan to trick the people into thinking that’s a long-term plan so when they see an orange barrel she gets the credit. This not about who gets the credit. This is not about checking off a box from a campaign list,” he said. “This is about fixing the problem and until she fixes the root of the problem” — the sales tax on fuel — “we’re always going to have a road-funding problem in our state.” Michigan’s annual debt service on past State Trunkline Fund bonds is $118 million this fiscal year and was scheduled to drop gradually and substantially in coming years, to more than $6 million by the 2027-28 budget year. Whitmer’s administration estimated the $3.5 billion in borrowing will cost the state $207 million annually over 25 years. Former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, who serves as an independent on the State Transportation Commission, said the bonding is “a smart, cost-effective way to address a looming crisis on our roads. This is not a permanent fix. We still need an increased, dedicated source of revenue from the Legislature to solve the long-term, going -forward problem. But this will put us back on track to fixing our Michigan roads.”

SALEM, Va. – Mack Trucks announced late last month that it is bringing a new bulldog into the market with the creation of the Mack MD Series of medium-duty trucks. To produce this new product line, the company has also opened a new facility in Salem, Virginia. Mack has made a $13 million investment to establish its Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) facility, which is being used for equipment, tooling and building enhancements in the 280,000-square-feet of the facility dedicated to the assembly of this new product line. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam also approved a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund for the project. “The reason that companies want to come to places like Roanoke County is because we have one of the most talented workforces,” Northam said during an unveiling event on Jan. 30. “We are truly blessed to have great colleges and universities and community colleges that are very nimble and able to train individuals that can go into these jobs.” The Mack MD6, a Class 6 model, has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the MD7, a Class 7 model, has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent federal excise tax (FET). The MD6 model does not require a CDL to operate for non-hazardous payloads. Production will begin in July. “We could not be more pleased and honored to be in this great part of the commonwealth of Virginia,” said Martin Weissburg, Mack Trucks president. “This facility will carry on the Mack tradition of 120 years.” The opening of the new facility will create 250 new jobs in the area when all available positions are staffed, according to Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of North American sales and marketing for Mack. Randall added that the opening of this new facility will not have any impact on the operations at any other Mack facilities, including the Lehigh Valley Operations facility located outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is where Mack’s heavy-duty, Class 8 trucks are produced. On January 9, Mack announced that 305 employees would be laid off at LVO, which represented a 13% reduction in force at the plant. Those cuts were expected to be made by the end of February and were expected as Mack said late last year that it would need to slow production to cope with reduced demand. Mack expects the North American truck market to be down nearly 30% this year. “It is unfortunate that we had to take the steps that we had to take in responding to the Class 8 market,” Randall said. “We continue to make and will make significant investments into LVO and that is where we will absolutely continue to build our Class 8 vehicles. When we open the positions here, any of those employees are certainly welcome to apply.” The Mack MD series lineup will, however, draw inspiration from the Class 8 vehicles that are produced at LVO. Roy Horton, director of product strategy for Mack, said that some of the familiar features from the Mack Anthem helped to create unique selling points for the new product line. “We’ve got the same bold, unique look that we have without heavy-duty product for our medium-duty product,” Horton said. In the interior of the MD Series trucks, Horton said features such as a wraparound dash, ergonomic controls telescopic and tilt steering columns as well as a flat-bottom steering wheel for “a little more room” will transition from the heavy-duty world into the medium-duty market. There were also many small details that Mack duplicated from its heavy-duty line including power windows and locks, optional two-passenger bench seating with storage underneath as well as door panels and other panels in the cab, which makes the cab very quiet, Horton added. Other features resembling those of the heavy-duty models include an air-suspended cab and chassis components, such as 120,000 psi frame rails. The launch of the new product is a step toward ensuring that Mack can provide a full spectrum of offerings to its current customers. Mack exited with medium-duty market in 2002 and has since had a gap in its “family portrait.” “We have a lot of customers today who run our Class 8 product but have medium-duty needs,” Randall said. “They really want to work with one OEM and have a single-source provider. It is an expansion of our ability to meet the market demand.” Randall said that the market for medium-duty trucks typically remains steady at between 90,000 to 100,000 trucks each year in the U.S. and Canada with three fourths of them being Class 6 models, which allows Mack to enter the pick-up-and-delivery portion of the market. On the hood of these medium-duty trucks, the iconic bulldog will be there but it won’t be the gold ornaments that are seen on the heavy duty-models. Instead, it will be silver, which means that a vendor product is utilized for the transmission, axles or engine instead of every component being proprietary to Mack. “For those medium-duty components that don’t currently exist in our product portfolio, we’ve partnered with several suppliers that are already in the industry for engines, transmissions and axles and all along the way, we’ve created unique selling points to help differentiate us from the market that we are reentering,” Horton said. Randall added that even though the bulldog is silver, “it is still a Mack and application excellence is still our guiding principle.” Original story below: Posted January 30, 2020 ROANOKE VALLEY, Va. – Mack Trucks launched the new Mack MD Series of medium-duty trucks, and will begin serial production in July 2020 at its new manufacturing facility in Virginia. Mack has made a $13 million investment to establish its Roanoke Valley Operations, a new manufacturing facility in the Roanoke Valley, Virginia, for the production of the Mack MD Series. The project will result in the creation of 250 new jobs. “Mack Trucks is very proud to make this investment and to now offer a full lineup of Class 6 to Class 8 commercial vehicles, serving virtually every segment of the market,” said Martin Weissburg, Mack Trucks president. “With this investment, Mack is well-positioned for future success, and we’re taking orders for the new truck beginning today.” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced the $13 million investment during an event with state and local officials at the new facility. Gov. Northam approved a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund for the project. Mack’s investment is being used for equipment, tooling and building enhancements in the 280,000-square-feet of the facility dedicated to the assembly of Mack medium-duty vehicles. The Mack MD6, a Class 6 model, has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the MD7, a Class 7 model, has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET). The addition of this line up trucks allows Mack to further enhance its credibility as an original equipment maker (OEM) as it now offers a full line up of Class 6, 7 and 8 trucks. The new Class 7 truck builds on Mack’s effort to boost its image with the introduction of the Class 8 Pinnacle model in 2014, the Mack Anthem Class 8 model in late 2017. The MD6 model does not require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads. “Already providing our customers a full product lineup of Class 8 vehicles, which includes straight trucks and cabover platforms, the Mack MD Series expands even further the solutions available to our customers,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of North American sales and marketing. “Now that we have a full lineup of Class 6 to Class 8 vehicles, customers desiring Mack’s distinctive durability and reliability now have an option for lighter GVWR configurations.” The Mack MD Series is an all-new model range built specifically for medium-duty applications. Available in 4×2 configurations, the MD6 and MD7 models feature a sharp wheel cut for enhanced maneuverability for tough urban settings.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Wednesday released an interim final rule that calls for a two-year delay in implementation of the agency’s December 8, 2016, final rule “Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators,” more commonly known as the ELDT final rule. The FMCSA asked for comments on the delay. The interim final rule extends the compliance date for the rule from February 7, 2020, to February 7, 2022. The notice, posted in the Federal Register, said the delay in the compliance date would provide the FMCSA additional time to complete development of the Training Provider Registry (TPR), which will allow training providers to self-certify that they meet the training requirements and will provide the electronic interface that will receive and store (ELDT) certification information from training providers and transmit that information to the state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs). The FMCSA said the extension also provides SDLAs with time to modify their information technology systems and procedures, as necessary, to accommodate their receipt of driver-specific ELDT data from the TPR. The FMCSA said it was delaying the entire ELDT final rule, as opposed to a partial delay as proposed, because of delays in implementation of the TPR that were not foreseen when the proposed rule was published. The Federal Register notice was not a surprise to the trucking industry because the FMCSA in late November announced it was preparing the notice, but did not know when it would be published. “Following a careful review of the public comments regarding the Entry-Level Training (ELDT) rule, FMCSA is extending the rule’s implementation for two years,” said an FMCSA spokesperson in November. “This extension is reflective of the agency’s continued efforts to develop a secure and effective electronic trainer provider registry for the new rule. The Agency remains committed to making the implementation of the rule as efficient and effective as possible.” “While news of the full delay is not unexpected, it is very disappointing to the entire commercial vehicle training community as well as safety advocates who have seen this as a critical step towards improving highway safety,” said Commercial Vehicle Training Association President Don Lefeve, who noted that the ELDT rule applies to both interstate and intrastate commercial drivers seeking a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Unlike numerous state laws on commercial driver training that provide exemptions for employers, or have lax training requirements, ELDT requires anyone seeking a CDL to receive formal training, register with the FMCSA, and teach the proper curriculum. “From large organizations to one-man trainers, ELDT will create a training standard that will positively impact every driver responsible for driving an 80,000-pound vehicle on our roadways. Put simply, the ELDT rule is in the interest of everyone’s safety.” The CVTA has been at the forefront of ELDT outreach and has been working with stakeholders across the industry to increase awareness of the new rule and educate state partners on their role in the process. CVTA members have been piloting various training and reporting requirements since September of 2018 in anticipation of the original compliance date to be best prepared to implement when it does come out. “CVTA will continue to push for ELDT implementation prior to the 2-year delay. We look forward to working with the FMCSA and all interested parties to speed up implementation and lead outreach to states and industry stakeholders,” added Lefeve. In the notice Wednesday, the FMCSA said the extension applies to all requirements established in the December 2016 final rule, including: The date by which training providers must begin uploading driver-specific training certification information into the TPR, an electronic database that will contain ELDT information; The date by which 5DLAs must confirm that applicants for a commercial driver’s license (CDL) have complied with ELDT requirements prior to taking a specified knowledge or skills test; The date by which training providers wishing to provide ELDT must be listed on the TPR; and The date by which drivers seeking a CDL or endorsement must complete the required training, as set forth in the ELDT final rule. Comments may be submitted electronically as identified by Docket Number FMCSA-2007- Go to www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.        

WASHINGTON — The chairs of three U.S. House Committees on Wednesday released what they called a framework for a five-year, $760 billion investment in infrastructure that would address some of the country’s most urgent infrastructure needs, from the massive maintenance backlog, to designing safer streets, to putting the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector and increasing resiliency. The plan put forth by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, D-Mass., would bolster the Federal role in order to help communities around the country undertake transformative projects that are smarter, safer, and made to last. Among other things, the three chairmen said the framework outlines major investments, including those in highways, rail, and transit systems, airports, ports and harbors, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, brownfields, and broadband. They said it’s infrastructure investment that is smarter, safer, and made to last – with a framework that: Brings existing infrastructure into a state of good repair and enables the completion of critical projects through long-term, sustainable funding. Sets a path toward zero carbon pollution from the transportation sector, creating jobs, protecting our natural resources, promoting environmental justice, and increasing resiliency to climate change. Ensures a transportation system that is green, affordable, reliable, efficient and provides access to jobs Provides safe, clean, and affordable water and wastewater services. Prioritizes the safety of the traveling public. Helps combat climate change by creating good-paying jobs in clean energy, investing in energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Expands broadband internet access, adoption for unserved and underserved rural, suburban, and urban communities. Modernizes 911 public safety networks. Creates family-wage jobs with Davis-Bacon and other strong worker protections. Supports U.S. industries, including steel and manufacturing, through strong Buy America protections “Our country has changed dramatically since the 1950s, yet people and goods are now literally stuck trying to move on transportation networks first developed nearly 70 years ago. It’s past time for transformational investments to make our infrastructure smarter, safer, and resilient to climate change, or else we will keep throwing money at an antiquated system that is only holding us and our economy back,” DeFazio said. “The framework we released today is the launchpad we need to move forward on those transformational investments and curb carbon pollution. In the coming months, I look forward to continuing our work to make this framework a reality. The cost of inaction is too great.” Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves, R-Mo., reacted to the announcement by saying he looked forward to a bipartisan process in the T and I committee. “I may not agree with all of the principles in the majority’s outline, but as the Republican leader of this committee, I expect to play a constructive role in the development of infrastructure bills before us this year, including expected surface transportation and water resources legislation.  Any serious effort toward enacting infrastructure legislation must incorporate Republican principles as well. The time for partisan posturing from House Democrat leadership is over. On this committee, we know the recipe for success in addressing America’s infrastructure needs is through partnership, so let’s get to work.” Pallone said there was no better way to strengthen our economy for the future than to modernize our badly aging infrastructure. “This bold framework not only helps us rebuild our nation, it also combats climate change by reducing carbon emissions and moving us towards a clean energy future,” he said.  “It will also create good paying jobs, ensure that no community is left behind in the digital economy and help protect Americans’ drinking water. These are investments that we must make for the American people, and I look forward to moving this proposal forward.” “Because of decades of underfunding and neglect, America’s infrastructure system is falling apart and we’re falling behind our global competitors. The deficiencies of our roads, bridges, transit, water systems, broadband, and electrical grids hold our nation’s economy back,” Neal said. “When we invest in infrastructure, it results in a significant economic multiplier – with each dollar spent, our nation becomes more competitive and prosperous. Democrats’ new infrastructure framework creates jobs, bolsters American industry, and builds the smart, safe connections between communities that our country needs to advance.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has released new research that documents the collection and distribution of $14.7 billion in U.S. toll revenue, representing 82% of U.S. toll collections. The research sheds light on many questions about tolling, including how much toll revenue is generated versus reinvested in toll facilities, and contrasts truck-generated toll revenue versus truck utilization of toll roads. This study was identified as the top research priority for the industry by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee in 2019. To better understand tolling, researchers collected public financial data from Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) published by toll systems and attempted to standardize financial comparisons across systems. Key metrics included toll facility charges by user type, toll facility expenditures and toll revenue diversion to non-toll entities. ATRI’s research found that the 21 major toll systems analyzed collected more than $14.7 billion in revenue with nearly 50% of toll revenue diverted to other uses. In addition, toll revenue increased more than 72 percent over the last decade compared to inflation growth of just 16.9%. The report includes a first-of-its-kind data analysis to better understand the relationship between interstate commerce and toll road utilization. Through an analysis of truck GPS data, the researchers were able to quantify toll revenue impacts on local truck activity versus interstate commerce. “It is clear from this research that highway funding mechanisms that return our tax investments to highways are far superior to tolling,” said Darren Hawkins, YRC Worldwide chief executive officer. “We need greater oversight and transparency to ensure that the billions of dollars paid by our industry goes back into the roads and bridges that generate the revenue.” To access the full report, visit TruckingResearch.org.