American Trucking Associations leaders met with Washington, D.C., lawmakers and key stakeholders to improve supply chains and address inflation.
Led by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), nearly 90 industry advocacy organizations sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to take action on legislation called the Transportation Security Administration Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act. The bill would help fast-track applications needed by CDL professionals who require security credentials.
The legislation “is a long overdue solution for essential workers like truck drivers, pipeline operators, longshore workers, and warehouse managers, among many others, who must obtain these credentials as a condition of employment,” the letter reportedly states. “The people who keep our supply chain running deserve a federal credentialing process that respects their time and money, and the TSA Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act directs the implementation of a streamlined system that supports America’s workers.”
Sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker and Sen. Deb Fischer, its passage would assist freight haulers to get Transportation Worker Identification Credential and hazardous materials applications processed in a timely manner. The proposed legislation would reportedly standardize assessments and renewals so that truckers are not needlessly sidelined or delayed.
“This common-sense legislation would streamline the TSA’s certification process for transportation workers who need approval from credentialing programs to do their jobs. By cutting down on duplicative red tape, the bill will also save truckers time and money when obtaining licenses. Importantly, these process improvements would all be made without impacting security concerns,” Sen. Fischer reportedly said.
On another front, ATA Chairman Harold Sumerford Jr. pressed the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to deal with key issues driving the 40-year-high inflation recorded in June — diesel costs, labor shortages, and highway congestion.
“More than 80 percent of American communities rely exclusively on trucks for freight services, so capacity constraints on trucking supply chains caused by inflation and shortsighted policies directly impact the costs for those consumers,” Sumerford reportedly said.
With the massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package in play, Sumerford urged Republicans who attended a roundtable discussion to focus on pain points that cause congestion and reduce freight movement efficiency. He pointed out that specific roads and bridges become bottlenecked, and the cost of truck delivery delays is passed along to consumers. Eliminating unnecessary bottlenecks would lead to a more resilient economy, he reportedly said.
It wasn’t lost on the chairman or group that diesel prices at the pump hover about $2 more per gallon than just a year ago. Reducing fuel costs would have a direct and discernable impact on lowering spot and contract rates that drive up inflation. Lastly, the ATA chairman urged lawmakers to make a concerted effort into expanding opportunities to integrate a younger trucking workforce.
“The quickest way to ensure supply chains have access to affordable trucking capacity is to improve pathways for students and other workers to begin rewarding careers as truck drivers and owner-operators,” he reportedly said.
Sources:
https://ajot.com/news/ata-chairman-urges-congress-to-take-steps-to-address-inflation
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