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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE<br />
WHAT’S IN IT<br />
FOR US?<br />
Trucking Industry weighs in on<br />
infrastructure bill provisions<br />
By John Worthen<br />
Now that the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill has<br />
been signed into law by President Joe Biden, many in<br />
the trucking industry are asking, “What’s in it for us?”<br />
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released<br />
state-by-state fact sheets that highlight how funds will<br />
be spent.<br />
And while the trucking industry will certainly benefit from<br />
the dozens of new roads and bridges that will be constructed,<br />
along with repairs to older ones, there’s only one truckingspecific<br />
item laid out in the new law.<br />
It provides for an apprenticeship program for commercial<br />
drivers between the ages of 18 and 21. At the end of the<br />
program, certain drivers in that age group will be allowed to<br />
travel and deliver goods across the nation. Currently, these<br />
drivers are limited to driving within state lines. Full details<br />
about the program have yet to be released.<br />
As for one of the biggest issues facing the trucking industry<br />
— a serious deficit of safe parking spaces — there’s no<br />
mention of it at all.<br />
And that’s disappointing to industry leaders like Mark<br />
Walker, chairman and CEO of Missouri-based TransLand.<br />
“As one of the Top 5 industry-rated challenges voiced by<br />
professional drivers in the recent ATRI study, and an issue<br />
that has been Top 10 on company and truckers’ minds for<br />
years, it is more than disappointing that specific funds were<br />
not earmarked to meet this problem,” Walker said. “It’s<br />
unbelievable.”<br />
Overall, however, Walker said he is satisfied with the bill.<br />
“It means jobs,” he said. “It means improved efficiencies<br />
in trucking company operations, better driving conditions<br />
for professional drivers, and a reduction in bottlenecks that<br />
plague our industry.<br />
“Perhaps most importantly, it means improved safety on<br />
our nation’s highways for all that use the highway system,<br />
whether it’s to move freight or visit loved ones,” he noted.<br />
As for the future, Walker said Congress must keep tackling<br />
the critical supply chain issues facing the nation.<br />
It can do that by “creating incentives and removing roadblocks<br />
to our transportation system,” he said.<br />
“Let’s expedite allowing 18- to 21-year-olds to drive interstate,<br />
with proper training and coaching,” he stated, continuing,<br />
“I’d like to see additional investment in workforce development<br />
that targets transportation industry jobs, especially<br />
professional drivers and technicians.<br />
“I think we’ll need additional safeguards to protect the owner/operator<br />
system to allow it to thrive,” he added. “I believe<br />
Congress needs to create more work VISAs for immigrant<br />
workers that can meet our short-term and long-term capacity<br />
issues. Many other industries have thrived with this model.<br />
Trucking can too.”<br />
For now, government officials are focusing on how the influx<br />
of cash will create jobs, make America more environmentally<br />
friendly, and improve quality of life.<br />
“Americans rely on our transportation infrastructure every<br />
day — to get to work, school, loved ones, and to move goods<br />
across our economy,” said DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg.<br />
“The once-in-a-generation investments in the Bipartisan<br />
Infrastructure Law will improve people’s lives in every state<br />
in the nation by increasing access to safe, clean, reliable<br />
transportation,” he shared.<br />
SPONSORED BY TCI BUSINESS CAPITAL / TCICAPITAL.COM / 800.707.4845<br />
6 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | WWW.TRUCKLOAD.ORG TCA JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
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