Trucking association pushes for more domestic oil production to combat growing fuel costs

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently announced that it is urging President Barack Obama and his administration to open up opportunities for domestic oil production, Transport Topics reports.

Officials told the news source that fuel is the second-largest expense for many companies, which can affect their bottom line when there are uncontrollable spikes.

"Recent events in Egypt and Libya have highlighted how fragile the global oil market it, putting our industry at risk for rapid price spikes, even as we slowly begin to roll to an economic recovery," Bill Graves, ATA President, told the news source.

Officials noted that the trucking industry uses more than 34 billion gallons of diesel fuel each year. They added that they are urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to explore a five-year plan for off-shore oil and gas exploration, which could reduce fuel costs.

Safety directors can enroll their employees in online truck driver training courses to educate them on which are the best routes to drive to conserve fuel. Moreover, these classes can keep operators up-to-date on current events that affect their industry.

By Mark Priest

Trucking association pushes for more domestic oil production to combat growing fuel costs

Monday, March 7th, 2011