There are many challenges ahead. The current plan threatens our economy and highway safety, putting all drivers at greater risk. We need to work toward a final rule that truly promotes safety and allows trucking to continue driving a strong US economy. Sky-high diesel fuel prices also will remain a significant threat.
Trucking companies survive on razor-thin profit margins.
Especially for smaller companies, diesel price spikes too often mean bankruptcy. Last year, the ATA persuaded the White House to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to provide some relief. Far more must be done. We need a strong energy policy that gets tough with OPEC when it threatens our economy, a policy that understands that a diesel price crisis for trucking is a crisis for the country. We also must overcome the roadblock of costly diesel emissions rules that unfairly single out trucking, which has been the hands-down leader among transportation modes in shifting to cleaner engines.