Top News

• Bush Meets with Coalition for Affordable American Energy

• ATA Announces Support for Bipartisan Energy Plan

• House to Rethink Drilling, Pelosi Says

Also in the News: Senate Bill Would Provide Tax Credit for Purchase of Four CMV Safety Technologies; ATA Applauds Efforts that Succeed in Lowering Highway Fatalities; IMCC Seeks FMC Review of LA-Long Beach Ports Concession Plans; Decreased Driving Signals Urgent Need for New Highway Financing; ATA Comments on Interim Final Rule on Reporting of Drug Violations; San Francisco Abandons Congestion Pricing on Golden Gate Bridge
 

BUSH MEETS WITH COALITION FOR AFFORDABLE AMERICAN ENERGY
President Bush met Aug. 12 with a newly formed group of businesses and national trade associations lobbying for increased domestic production of oil and gas according to the Environment News Service.

 The Coalition for Affordable American Energy was created in June by the National Association of Wholesalers-Distributors, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Office Products Wholesalers Association and 75 other national associations to fight high energy prices.

“We discussed a variety of strategies about how to affect the supply of oil, and one way that we can affect the supply of oil is to increase access to offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf,” Bush said, according to published reports. “One of the things that came out in this discussion was there’s a lot of folks in our country who understand we could be doing something about the high price of gasoline and we’re not. Obviously we need to be wise about conservation, but we’ve got to be wise about increasing the supply of oil here in America.”

Bush used the meeting as a platform to press his familiar oil production agenda - drill offshore, drill in northern Alaska, develop oil shale and expand American refining capacity. When Congress returns from its recess, the President said, it should bring up the offshore drilling moratorium for a definitive "up or down" vote. Bush lifted the executive moratorium on offshore drilling last month, and only the congressional moratorium remains.

ATA ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR
BIPARTISAN ENERGY PLAN
The American Trucking Associations yesterday announced its support for a bipartisan energy bill that calls for domestic oil drilling, tax incentives and alternative energy research to lower the price of fuel for the nation’s 3.5 million truck drivers and American consumers.

ATA first Vice Chairman Charles “Shorty” Whittington and professional truck driver Tony Sifford spoke about the need for action on energy issues at a press conference held by U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas) at ATA’s National Truck Driving Championships in Houston, Texas.

“Trucking delivers America. Trucks transport virtually 100 percent of groceries, medicine, clothing, appliances and even the fuel that’s pumped at the local gas station,” said Whittington. “Diesel fuel prices are hurting us and driving up the costs of all of these consumer goods. We need a comprehensive energy plan. The National Conservation, Environment, and Energy Independence Act is part of this comprehensive solution.” 

If enacted, the bill would increase domestic production of energy by allowing exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf and vast oil shale reserves; promote the use of alternative energy sources, such as biodiesel, by extending the biodiesel tax credit to ensure that consumers are incentivized to use this renewable resource; and target revenues produced from domestic oil leases to the development of energy conservation technologies. HR 6709 currently has 130 cosponsors.

“Petroleum’s high price is not only straining family budgets at the pump; it’s driving up the price of groceries and basic household goods because truckers are paying three times more for diesel than they did four years ago,” Rep. Lampson said. “This plan is a comprehensive energy solution that includes domestic drilling and alternative energy research. It will resolve the crisis American families are facing.” 

Tony Sifford, a professional truck driver with over 1.8 million accident-free miles, compared the year-over-year cost of fuel for his regular roundtrip route from Hillsville, Va., to Dallas, Texas. At this time last year, Sifford’s fuel bill was $1,680. That same trip recently cost $2,826.

Sifford said truck drivers are doing their part to reduce fuel consumption by slowing truck speeds, reducing idling and properly maintaining equipment. Such steps, however, do not begin to offset the rising cost of fuel, he said.

SENATE BILL WOULD PROVIDE TAX CREDIT FOR PURCHASE OF FOUR CMV SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES
ATA supports a new Senate bill, S. 3428, introduced by Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio), that would provide a tax credit if trucks (and buses) are purchased with certain safety technologies installed. A similar companion House bill, H.R. 3820, was introduced last October by Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Ron Lewis (R-Ky.). The four technologies are collision avoidance, lane departure warning, stability control and brake stroke monitoring systems. The legislation includes a tax credit equal to 50 percent of the cost for each qualified system, up to a maximum of $1,500; allows a total credit of up to $3,500 per vehicle; limits the maximum credit to $350,000 per taxable year; and extends credit eligibility for purchases for commercial motor vehicles. This bill has been referred to the Finance Committee.

HOUSE TO RETHINK DRILLING, PELOSI SAYS
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Aug. 16 in the Democratic radio address that the House will consider expanded offshore drilling as part of broad energy legislation when Congress returns next month, The New York Times reported.

Pelosi criticized Republicans as focusing too narrowly on offshore drilling as a solution to high gasoline prices, but said the House would revisit a drilling ban that has been imposed annually since the 1980s.

According to The New York Times, Pelosi said legislation being assembled by Democrats “will consider opening portions of the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling, with appropriate safeguards, and without taxpayer subsidies to big oil.”
 

NHTSA/IMCC/DOT

ATA APPLAUDS EFFORTS THAT SUCCEED IN LOWERING HIGHWAY FATALITIES
The number of highway fatalities in crashes involving large trucks dropped again last year according to a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Aug. 14.

The total number of traffic fatalities in large truck involved crashes decreased 4.4 percent, from 5,027 in 2006 to 4,808 in 2007.  The number of fatalities is at its lowest level since 1992.  Truck occupant fatalities decreased 0.4 percent and fatalities for occupants of other vehicles involved in the crash dropped an impressive 5.2 percent.  Fatalities for people who were not a vehicle occupant, such as cyclists or pedestrians, decreased 4.7 percent.

This good news comes as many drivers are reducing both their mileage and speed to reduce fuel consumption. 

Moreover, some of the decline in fatalities may be attributed to trucks utilizing more safety technologies such as collision avoidance, lane departure warning, stability control and brake stroke monitoring systems.  ATA is supporting a measure currently under consideration by Congress that would give tax incentives to carriers who adopt these safety technologies.

“The statistics from this most recent study show that the efforts of law enforcement agencies to focus on the most likely causes of crashes, such as speeding and impaired driving, are making our highways safer,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.  He also noted that this continued safety improvement occurred under the new federal hours-of-service regulations, and the new figures add to the growing evidence that the regulations are working and should be retained. 

IMCC SEEKS FMC REVIEW OF LA-LONG BEACH PORTS CONCESSION PLANS
The Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference of the American Trucking Associations filed comments on Aug. 18 with the Federal Maritime Commission regarding the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach’s pending Discussion Agreement application that would authorize the ports and terminal operators to discuss and reach agreement on the administration of their Clean Truck Programs, including the ports’ previously adopted concession agreements.

ATA is challenging the legality of those concession agreements in federal court, with a hearing on a request that the ports be enjoined from implementing the agreements set for Sept. 8.

In its filing, the IMCC submits that the ports’ application represents an attempt to avoid the FMC requirement that agreements between the ports related to their CTP be filed with the commission and that the ports are trying to insulate the concession agreements from appropriate FMC review. The IMCC filing then urges the commission to require the ports to provide program details and impacts that they had previously withheld and to undertake a competitive review and analysis regarding the effects of the ports’ implementing the concession agreements. The IMCC asks that these actions be required prior to allowing the agreements to become effective.

DECREASED DRIVING SIGNALS URGENT NEED FOR NEW HIGHWAY FINANCING
New data released Aug. 13 by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that, since last November, Americans have driven 53.2 billion miles less than they did over the same period a year earlier – topping the 1970s’ total decline of 49.3 billion miles.

Americans drove 4.7 percent less, or 12.2 billion miles fewer, in June 2008 than June 2007. The decline is most evident in rural travel, which has fallen by 4 percent – compared to the 1.2 percent decline in urban miles traveled – since the trend began last November.

As Americans drive fewer miles, less tax revenue is generated for the Highway Trust Fund from gasoline sales (18.4 cents per gallon) and diesel sales (24.4 cents per gallon). During the first quarter of 2008, motorists consumed nearly 400 million fewer gallons of gasoline, or about 1.3 percent less than during the same period in 2007, and 7 percent less – or 318 million gallons – of diesel.

ATA COMMENTS ON INTERIM FINAL RULE ON REPORTING OF DRUG VIOLATIONS
ATA filed comments with the U.S. Department of Transportation Aug. 8 about its recent Interim Final Rule intended to promote more state laws requiring reporting of drug and alcohol test result information. ATA expressed concern over DOT’s rule since it will further exacerbate the non-uniform approach to drug and alcohol test result reporting at the state level. ATA has been the leading advocate for a national clearinghouse for positive drug and alcohol results, and ATA’s comments focused on it as the more appropriate national, uniform solution to the driver “job-hopping” problem.

SAN FRANCISCO ABANDONS CONGESTION PRICING ON GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
A plan to impose congestion pricing on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge has been scrapped by local officials. Under the proposal, Doyle Drive, an approach road, would have been replaced and other local improvements made using a $158 million federal grant issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation under its Urban Partnership Agreement program. In return, San Francisco would agree to impose congestion charges on motorists using the bridge during morning and afternoon peak travel periods. However, local officials, who wanted to charge $1, balked when DOT insisted on a $7 charge. DOT claimed that $1 would not affect motorist behavior enough to reduce congestion. DOT and city officials agreed to revise the program, charging motorists who park along bridge access routes a higher fee if they park during peak periods. In return, the city will receive a smaller federal grant for local transportation improvements. This is the second UPA project to be scrapped or substantially revised. Earlier this year a Manhattan congestion pricing proposal was abandoned after the New York State Legislature refused to approve it.