Saturday, September 3, 2011

Trucking Industry Supports President Obama’s Push for Highway Funding

On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, President Barack Obama was joined by Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, as well as Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and also David Chavern, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce as he made a speech to a gathering of Highway Workers regarding the Transportation Bill currently in Congress. His speech mainly focused on the jobs that would be lost if Congress failed to pass the bill by September 30th (the current transportation legislation is set to expire on Sept. 30).  According to his speech, nearly one million highway workers would be out of a job if the current legislation expired without enacting new legislation.  

The current transportation legislation “The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” expired in 2009, but Congress has kept adding extensions to the legislation. The most recent one expires at the end of September. If it is not extended, or if new legislation is not enacted to replace it, the transportation industry will experience a shutdown similar to what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) experienced earlier this year.

If there is no immediate solution, the Transportation department will experience about 4,000 jobs to be furloughed without pay, and up to one million jobs if the delay is any longer. These are jobs for the people who build our roads and keep them safe. It would be detrimental and irresponsible to our highway system if this legislation is not kept in place.  

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) came out in support of President Obama stating that Congress needed to quickly act on another extension, but  more extensions are no replacement for a long-term highway solution.  The ATA also urged the administration to use caution when using private sector funding for public infrastructure.   

Soon after, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials also released a statement in agreement with the ATA. Another organization that supported President Obama’s push for new legislation came as a surprise was OOIDA (Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association). This was a bit surprising because OOIDA and the ATA have had a history of having a different opinion than the ATA.  But as to this issue they have a similar viewpoint.  They also agree that the government should try to avoid private sector funding for public transit.

This delay in the typical tax year for those filing Truck Taxes has affected an entire industry.  Once an extension is passed or new legislation is enacted, those Truck Taxes will be able to be filed with Express Truck Tax at www.ExpressTruckTax.com. You can use this service to quickly E-File your Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes with Form 2290, 8849, IFTA and more!  It only takes minutes to complete. If there are any questions, you can send them to (704)234-6005 or support@ExpressTruckTax.com