They did it again. Lawmakers on the Highway Bill conference committee were not able to find common ground and they had to extend the 1998 bill again (this is the eighth time). However, this will be the LAST extension.

The highway bill WILL be finalized by July 19, 2005.

The fuel surcharge legislation has drawn massive opposition from the big trucking corporations, shippers and brokers. Those folks created a coalition and formed a sizeable army of lobbyists to bombard Capitol Hill. They are also spending mounds of money to get the fuel surcharge legislation out of the Highway Bill.

This is the greatest opportunity that small-business truckers and professional drivers have had in many years to put their foot in the door of American politics and say, “Hell no, we ain’t leaving!”

As an ATA lobbyist put it, “It’s going to be a real fight.” They and their friends are pulling out all stops to put the real truckers of this world “in their place.”

ATA and their coalition partners (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart, Yellow, etc.) are telling representatives and senators on the Highway Bill conference committee that compensation schemes in the trucking industry are just fine. The big businesses and their associations say that small-business truckers are getting good rates in addition to adequate surcharges and that professional drivers are doing well too.

Section 4139 of the House’s version of the Highway Bill says that all motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders running truckload freight MUST implement fuel surcharges and they MUST pass 100 percent of those surcharges through to the person who actually pays for the fuel.

Please write, fax and call your lawmakers to urge them to do whatever they can to make sure the fuel surcharge legislation is in that final version of the Highway Bill. Also follow up your call or fax with more calls and faxes to ensure they understand the importance of this legislation.

This is also an excellent time to talk directly with your elected officials in their district offices and at Independence Day events such as fairs, parades, charity auctions, etc.

If you are not sure who your lawmakers are, phone the OOIDA Membership Department and they'll look up the information for you. The toll-free number is 1-800-444-5791. If you know who they are but don't have contact information, you can visit www.congress.org, www.house.gov or www.senate.gov. Or you can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

My Place is at the pump paying for the fuel, the surcharge they're collecting should pass to whomever pays for the fuel.

Thank You,
Steve J