Trucking industry group The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is cheering a set of changes to programs and regulations announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
According to OOIDA, the package includes $275 million to expand truck parking as well as initiatives to remove one-size-fits-all mandates, modernize driver resources, slash red tape, and crack down on bad actors. OOIDA calls itself the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers, listing more than 150,000 members nationwide who collectively own and operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks.
“These steps not only improve the daily lives of truckers across America, but also enhance safety for everyone on the road,” Todd Spencer, OOIDA’s president and CEO, said in a release. “For years, truckers have urged Washington to address the severe shortage of truck parking, eliminate the dangers posed by a national speed limiter mandate, and give drivers greater control over their hours-of-service. We thank President Trump and Secretary Duffy for listening to the men and women behind the wheel who keep America’s economy moving.”
Additional support came from trucking fleet trade group the American Trucking Associations (ATA). “As the leading mover of the nation’s freight, the concerns of our industry not only impact the 8.5 million Americans who work throughout trucking, but they also affect the countless businesses and families we serve across the country. A safe and strong trucking industry is critical to America’s economic growth and security, and data-driven measures like these that reduce regulatory burdens are important steps toward that end,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement.
Details of the suite of changes were issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Those actions include:
- USDOT is advancing more than $275 million in funding to expand truck parking availability and opening up additional grant programs and discretionary grants for truck parking projects.
- USDOT is withdrawing a proposed rulemaking to mandate speed limiters
- FMCSA is launching new digital assets that are more user-friendly, modernizing the Consumer Complaint database, and updating the DataQ system so it is more transparent.
- FMCSA is proposing to eliminate 1,800 words from federal regulations, which will save truckers time and money. Concurrently, the agency has renewed its focus on unlawful double brokering.
