Chris Spear, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, recently testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation about how the U.S. supply chain is reaching crisis levels.
Spear testified in a hearing on Freight Mobility: Strengthening America’s Supply Chains and Competitiveness.
More than 72 percent of the nation’s freight tonnage is transported via the trucking industry. It is estimated that trucks will move 2.4 billion more tons of freight over the next decade than they are currently.
The industry needs an additional 61,000 drivers now and will need approximately 1.1 million more drivers over the next decade.
Freight bottlenecks and congestion cost the industry 1.2 billion hours of lost productivity annually, according to the National Highway System, and add $75 billion to the cost of freight transportation.
Spear outlined the trucking industry’s priorities on workforce, infrastructure, safety, and the environment. He also detailed specific legislative steps lawmakers must take to ensure the integrity and longevity of the nation’s supply lines.
“Investments in our supply chain are desperately needed, including the roads and bridges that connect our ports, rail yards, and airports to the National Highway System,” Spear said in his opening remarks. “Do that, and you will witness measurable efficiencies, including gains in productivity and safety, job growth and sustainable employment, and historic reductions in carbon emissions.”