Trucking industry urges Congress to pass highway reauthorization bill

Trucking industry experts say that if both the U.S. House and Senate committees do not have a new six-year highway reauthorization bill in place by June, it might not be signed until 2013, Fleet Owner reports.

Currently, experts say that the current reauthorization act, which was set back in 2005, has been outstripping tax revenues. They added that money may run out by the end of the 2012 fiscal year, which is, in part, a result of recent increases in fuel cost. However, President Barack Obama has called for an investment of more than $551 billion in spending over a six-year time period.

"There have been a whole host of suggestions, but we’re probably not going to see this discussion take place in public,” Bauer said. “It is more likely we will see [Congress] move forward with a [reauthorization] bill, while they work quietly on how to pay for it."

Companies may want to enroll their employees in online truck driver training courses to help them stay up-to-date on industry news as well as any changes that may impact their immediate future.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, diesel currently costs $3.90 per gallon, which is an increase of nearly 98 cents from last year's totals.

By Mark Priest

Trucking industry urges Congress to pass highway reauthorization bill

Thursday, March 17th, 2011