The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently asked the nation’s policymakers to endorse its infrastructure plan, Build America Fund, which would address the modernization of bridges and roads.
“We support President (Donald) Trump’s vision to ‘go big or go home’ on infrastructure,” Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO, said. “To build America, we must invest in America. It is why President Trump has repeatedly said he wants to launch a serious infrastructure investment plan.”
The Build America Fund would be financed by a federal fuel usage fee added to the price of wholesale transportation fuels. The fee would be phased in at a nickel per year over four years. It would generate $340 billion in revenue over the first 10 years, the ATA said.
The average vehicle would contribute approximately $100 annually toward the fund, according to ATA estimates. This is much less than the $1,500 annual motorists spend on vehicle repairs and wasted gas because of crumbling infrastructure, Spear said.
Spear said toll roads are not a financially smart approach to the infrastructure problem.
Twelve percent of tolling revenue is wasted on administrative, collection and enforcement costs, according to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Trucking already pays half the nation’s highway funding tab, and we are ready to pay more,” Spear said. “Solving a challenge of this size requires big and bold solutions, and we call on Washington to step up with us.”