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President-elect Joe Biden recently released
his own plan to “revitalize America’s
infrastructure with unprecedented
investments” to make America more
competitive with the rest of the world. What
are the key elements of him being successful?
The obvious is to learn from history as to why
the previous administration failed. I think the Biden
administration will have an aggressive agenda that
includes infrastructure. On the other hand, passage
of a funding mechanism may be somewhat difficult
should the Republicans hold the majority in the Senate.
As I stated earlier, both sides say they want an
infrastructure plan but differ greatly as to how to accomplish
the same. Maybe the Biden administration
will be better reaching across the aisle, should it be
necessary. For the sake of our industry and the U.S.
economy, this is definitely an item that I will continue
to watch and advocate until a bill is passed.
The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse has
been operational for one year. What do you
hear from the membership about how the
Clearinghouse has benefited them in their
recruitment process?
Since its inception, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
has removed nearly 30,000 drivers from our
industry. That alone speaks volume of the benefits
afforded through the program. As for recruiting, it
is priceless to access one source to gain a better
understanding of an individual seeking employment
instead of relying on substandard information, or
even no information, as was prevalent in the past.
As a carrier that uses hair testing, I can also say the
Clearinghouse is not being fully utilized. Hair testing
has been successful in detecting a large number
of offenders by viewing a longer history of drug use
than the federally regulated urine testing we are now
required to use in our industry. Until the Clearinghouse
allows reporting of alternative methods like
hair testing, the data will not be as accurate as we
know it to be.
The nation is well aware of the way the
trucking industry and its drivers have stepped
to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic,
moving critical cargo throughout the
country — often without regard to personal
safety. with The approval of the Pfizer vaccine
and probable approval of others, do you
expect the industry to play a pivotal role in
distribution of this important medicine?
As we have seen in the news, the trucking industry
has already started playing a pivotal role with the
distribution of the Pfizer product. As you know, our
industry is the most flexible form of freight transportation
in the U.S. This is demonstrated by the mere
fact there likely is not a thing you own that has not
been on a truck, whether a finished product or the
raw materials used to construct the same. Trucking
has already played a role in the development of
these vaccines by delivering the raw materials to
pharmaceutical companies and as more vaccines roll
out, the industry can offer flexibility and timeliness
that other modes could not. Will there be challenges?
Certainly, but overcoming challenges is what we do
best as an industry. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) has already granted an exemption
to the hours-of-service regulations for those
carriers and drivers transporting the vaccine and
corresponding supplies. If it needs to be hauled, our
industry has demonstrated it has and will continue to
serve at the front lines of the COVID-19 battle.
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