WASHINGTON — Proposed legislation designed to make highways safer and streamline the flow of freight would actually make the nation’s roadways more dangerous, according to a Feb. 1 statement released by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Introduced in Congress on Jan. 24, H.R. 471, also known as the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act, has been described as a “sweeping overhaul of the interstate trucking supply chain” by its sponsors
However, not everyone agrees.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien sent letters to members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urging them to oppose the SHIP IT Act. The letter states that the legislation, introduced by Reps. Jim Costa and Dusty Johnson, would jeopardize the safety of workers, motorists and any American that uses an interstate highway. The Teamsters’ letter also says the act would do nothing to address the root causes of the nation’s supply chain woes.
“Supply chain challenges and bottlenecks over the last few years have laid bare a number of critical issues in the trucking industry, including the prevalence of poor working conditions, rampant and illegal misclassification of drivers under labor law, and the scourge of fly-by-night contracted and subcontracted motor carriers,” O’Brien said in his letter to the U.S. House of Representatives. “H.R. 471 looks to wrong and dangerous short-term ‘solutions’ to the very real legal and economic issues present in commercial trucking.”
The Teamsters organization claims the SHIP IT Act would allow for the introduction of heavier, more dangerous trucks, which are prone to more frequent and more severe crashes, on the road. In addition, the statement said, the act would grant the Secretary of Transportation “unjustifiable authority” on size and weight requirements and gut fatigue protections for drivers carrying agricultural goods.
“The International Brotherhood of Teamsters welcomes important conversations about improving the trucking industry – for both drivers and the American consumer,” O’Brien said. “However, H.R. 471 is simply an anti-safety bill in sheep’s clothing.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Unions represent less than 10% of the workforce and that number drops every year, why do we care what the unions think? Right, we don’t. We need more and better parking-period. We need more flexibility for drivers. We need better training for new drivers. The only thing this bill doesn’t do is provide for a minimum wage for all driver time – we need that too, but this bill is a start.
We need regime change. Until this assault on fossil fuels ends nothing will get better. What’s happening today in trucking is being done on purpose. Planned at meetings like Davos and Bilderberg. Climate change is a tenant of their religion.
I thought Congress couldn’t establish a religion but someone tell me – is the lefts agenda and the beliefs that they force on us not a religion???
Wake up america. The WEF, Biden regime, Democrats, etc are destroying your country. Taking it apart PIECE by PIECE.
You’re spot on right.
The only thing Destroying the Country are the Democratic Party Policies. Keep Government out of the way and America will Succeed. Everything gets worse every time Government Intervenes.
Every rule..regulation …law that congress comes up with..will do nothing but make things worse..and worse..instead of coming up with things like this..how about getting rid of ELDs? Funny how paper logs worked well for over 60 years? But..but.but. It’s safer..proof is it’s more dangerous..where’s the extra truck parking? Ohhh well we are chatting about that..How can anybody pass laws for trucking when they don’t even know what the inside of a truck looks like..when they don’t know what it’s like to be made into a piece of machinery..and told when to drive and when to stop..where is the law that tells all involved that 100% of the FSC goes to the truck hauling it..where is that one..every rule regulation law..has not benefitted the driver..or the small owner operator..WHERE IS THAT CONGRESS..what if we just shut down and go home..and watch your supply chain go down the dumper..