WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure heard from the trucking industry on a wide range of topics related to the Highway Bill including fair pay, lack of parking and size and weight restrictions.
“Today’s hearing builds on the subcommittee’s efforts to examine key issues concerning our nation’s surface transportation programs as we work to develop and enact on on-time multi-year surface bill,” said Rep. David Rouzer. “In our previous hearings we received testimony on the importance of this subcommittee’s programs to the American trucking industry which has an instrumental role in the safe and efficient movement of goods across the highway system to each and every one of our communities.”
Witnesses who testified before the committee include:
- John Elliott, executive chairman, Load One, past chairman, Truckload Carriers Association; on behalf of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).
- Lewie Pugh, executive vice president, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).
- Ryan Lindsey, executive vice president, government relations, CRH; on behalf of the Shippers Coalition.
- Dan Glessing, president, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation; on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
- Cole Scandaglia, senior legislative representative and policy advisor, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Highway Bill
“This highway bill is the ‘Super Bowl’ during this congress,” Pugh said. “This committee has the opportunity to pass the most pro-trucker bill in history. But, I want to be clear that pro-trucker and pro-trucking are not always synonymous these days. In fact many of the policies being touted as good for the trucking industry are primarily designed to fatten the wallets and cover the butts of trucking executive corporate shareholders, shippers, brokers and money hungry trial lawyers.”
Pugh noted that most of the proposals put profit over safety and make trucking careers less appealing and sustainable.
“We have some challenges facing our supply chain,” Lindsey said. “It is harder today than ever before to move goods. Congress has the ability to make meaningful changes that would have big impacts on the way goods are moved across the country.
Trucking: The Backbone of America
According to Rouzer, 80% of communities across the country depend solely on trucks to receive goods. In North Carolina, Rouzer’s home state, the trucking industry supports 1 in every 15 jobs. He complimented the trucking industry on its response to Hurricane Helene. He also encouraged the witness to outline the broad challenges the trucking industry is currently facing such as growing and retaining the trucking workforce, ensuring compliance regulations and rising costs.
“We have an opportunity in our surface bill to addresses such challenges in a smart and targeted manner,” Rouzer said.
He also added that the issue of allowing 18 to 20-year-old drivers to cross state lines should be addressed.
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton echoed Rouzer’s comments.
“These last five years have again and again reminded us of the great debt we owe our trucking workforce,” Norton said.
Norton addressed several key issues facing the trucking industry.
“Top of mind today is ensuring truck drivers are paid the wages they deserve,” Norton said. “While many often work 60 hour weeks, they are often paid by the load, not the hour, and are responsible for funding their own fuel and healthcare. Drivers also face other challenges in doing their jobs including inadequate parking and rest areas. Providing out drivers with safe workplaces and fair wages is key to regaining and growing the trucking workforce. We cannot discuss trucking in America without considering the safety of both drivers and those who share roads with them.”
Norton said that the committee must support speed limiters and automatic braking and “get them onto trucks as soon as possible.
Pugh called speed limiter mandates “counterproductive.”
Adequate Truck Parking
Elliot championed HR16-59, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.
“Already viewed as bipartisan with 27 sponsors, this legislation must be considered ‘must have’ language for the future of our highways to increase the number of parking spaces from one spot to every eleven drivers for more opportunities for places to rest when these drivers are trying to comply with federal hours of service rules,” Elliot said.
Scandaglia also advocated for safe and adequate parking for drivers.
“If we are really concerned about safety, the first and most important thing is that a driver should have a safe place to rest every single solitary night,” Pugh said. “We are at a place in this country where there is one safe spot for every eleven trucks…every single solitary day truckers are left with the decision to either park early and take money away from themselves and their family because they are paid piece work or by the mile some of them, or try to to roll down the road to find a safe spot before the run out of hours because they are governed by hours of service and hope to find a safe spot. If they don’t, the are left with two choices. Either they continue to drive and break hours of service and be in violation and can receive a ticket or two they park in an unsafe place and pray to God they wake up the next morning.”
Elliot noted that ELD’s are like a countdown clock when looking for safe parking.
“That is the stress they are under trying to find a parking spot,” Elliot said. “Watching that turn yellow and watching that turn red and having to make a decision. It’s very stressful…you want a well-rested driver on the road next to you and your family. You do not want a driver that is stressed out.”
Size and Weight Increases
“You will hear a lot today about the need to increase size and weights as something that is good for trucking,” Pugh said. “Make no mistake, these proposals are losers for truckers and highway safety. I want to especially caution new members of the committee about supporting these controversial increases. One vote to increase today’s limits will have every group that wants special treatment expecting you to support their specific car route for the rest of your tenure.”
Pugh also noted that increasing size and weight would make drivers’ jobs 68% more difficult and 87% of surveyed drivers said it would make the roads less safe.
“I would also remind folks that earlier this year there was a hearing here and Home Depot admittedly said that once you increase the rates, it’s fine, but we’re not going to pay the drivers any more. Drivers are already not making enough.”
Lindesy took the opposite position.
“Congress should authorize a pilot program that would moderately increase the gross vehicle weight limit on interstates from the current 80,000 lb. limit up to 91,000 lbs. while adding a sixth axle or the bridge formula, whichever is lower,” Lindsey said. “Importantly, this proposal would be opt-in. It would also impose important conditions on participation which would protect the public interest including the addition of an extra axle, weight distribution requirements of the bridge formula and per axle limits so that safety concerns are met.”
Lindsey added that just like companies cannot build projects the same as they did 40 years ago, the trucking industry should not be governed the same way as it was 40 years ago.
“The [gross vehicle weight] limit has not been updated in over 40 years and now is the time to do so,” Lindsey said.
Scandaglia supported Pugh.
“Simply put, these proposals threaten safety, increase wear and tear on our nation’s roads and add unnecessary operational difficulties for our drivers,” Scandaglia said. “Putting our members behind the wheels of heavier vehicles when all safety analysis agrees with our professional experience is simply putting them and members of the public in harms way.”
Driver Shortages
“Continued acceptance of the driver shortage myth has unfortunately convinced many of you that diluting credential standards, resisting enhanced driver training, lowering the ages of CDL requirements and bringing in more cheap foreign drivers is somehow good for trucking,” Pugh said.
Lindesy again disagreed with Pugh’s comments.
“I can tell you first hand that the driver shortage is real,” Lindsey said. “There’s no question about it. CRH alone needs to hire another 1,000 truck drivers just to maintain current demand. Just to keep up. With this shortage, it is more critical than ever to ensure we have resiliency in the trucking pipeline.”
Scandaglia supported Lindsey.
“We reiterate in the strongest possible terms our position that we reject the notion of a driver shortage,” Scandaglia said.
Drug Testing Policies
In 2015, hair follicle testing as an alternative to urine based testing was approved as a drug testing policy, according to Elliot.
“This provision was a significant step forward for our industry as it allowed for a more effective drug testing methods,” Elliott said. “However, it has been almost ten years since this language has been bestowed upon our industry. Personally, it is a travesty that the federal agency can block the directions of congress for almost a decade while allowing known drug users to operate commercial vehicles on our roadways. Passing a urine test is a requirement to earn a CDL. Hair follicle testing detects drug use eleven times more effectively than urine.”
Elliot noted that a recent TCA study with seven trucking companies which utilized both hair follicle testing and urine testing as pre-employment screening of almost 88,000 drivers. 4,362 drivers failed the hair test while only 403 failed the urine test.
To view the hearing in full and hear further comments on age restrictions, fair pay, women in the trucking industry and expanded comments on the issues above click here.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
Excellent read, very well put together. Thank you for outlining such a crucial issue in the trucking industry