A strong economy has benefited the trucking industry, American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Chris Spear recently said in a state of the industry address, but the organization will continue to advocate for the industry.
Speaking at the annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Austin, Texas, Spear said economic benefits included the purchase of new equipment and the for-hire truck tonnage increasing nearly 8 percent so far this year.
Spear applauded tax reform and the proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement while condemning electronic-logging-device technology and California’s hours-of-service rules.
ATA also supports the Drive-Safe Act that would allow truckers under the age of 21 to drive across state lines once they complete additional training.
All 48 contiguous states allow drivers under the age of 21 to operate within state lines, but none allow them to cross state borders.
“All trucks used for training in this program would need to be equipped with safety technology, including active braking collision mitigation systems, a video event capture system, and a speed governor set at 65 miles per hour or below,” Spear said.
ATA has worked to help develop the Department of Transportation’s 3.0 Automated Vehicle guidance and became an Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center partner.