Trucking organizations, others oppose 4 bills in Congress

Updated Sep 23, 2019

A coalition of 31 trucking and trade associations sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking they stop legislation it claims will hurt the trucking industry and others.

The coalition last week sent a letter to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), ranking member, of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and to Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), chairman, and Rep. Sam Graves, (R-Missouri), ranking member, of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The letter said four bills “would impose tens of billions of dollars in unfunded mandates on American businesses engaged in trucking. The bills opposed by the coalition include:

  • H.R. 1511/S. 665, the Stop Underrides Act: This bill would mandate the installation of front, side and rear underride guards on all trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, as well as single-unit trucks with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds and a carriage that is more than 22 inches above the ground.
  • S. 2033, the Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2019: This bill would require all heavy-duty trucks to be equipped with speed limiters with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour. The coalition says, if passed, the bill would create speed differentials in 35 states.
  • H.R. 3773, the Safe Roads Act: This bill would require new commercial trucks to be equipped with automatic emergency braking systems. The letter states that studies show it is not yet clear if the benefits of these systems outweigh the costs.
  • H.R. 3781, the INSURANCE Act: This bill would increase the liability insurance minimum for trucking companies from $750,000 to more than $4.9 million. The coalition says the bill, if passed, would impose significant costs on the trucking industry.

The members of the coalition are: the Agricultural Retailers Association; Agriculture Transportation Coalition; American Dairy Coalition; American Farm Bureau Federation; American Pipeline Contractors Association; American Pyrotechnics Association; Associated Equipment Distributors; Associated Oregon Loggers; Association of Professional Towers of Ohio; Corn Refiners Association; Distribution Contractors Association; Mid-West Truckers Association; National Asphalt Pavement Association; National Association of Small Trucking Companies; National Cotton Council; National Cotton Ginners’ Association; National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National Grain and Feed Association; National Hay Association; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association; National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association; National Utility Contractors Association; National Wildfire Suppression Association; NFIB; North American Millers’ Association; Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; Police Towers of America; Power and Communications Contractors Association; Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute; Towing and Recovery Association of America; and United States Cattlemen’s Association.