GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – February 26, 2009 – In response to a report from the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) agreed there is a need for additional funds but wonders why there was no thorough evaluation of how highway user dollars are currently spent.

“This commission’s report is a waste of public and private resources, let alone the time and energy of transportation policymakers,” said Todd Spencer, Executive Vice President of OOIDA. “Before dumping more water into the bucket, we need to fix the gaping holes in the bottom.”

“They neglected to address the most fundamental problem associated with financing our nation’s infrastructure – reining in and redirecting ineffective and wasteful spending on programs and initiatives that aren’t aligned with actual construction and maintenance for our highway system.”

Most relevant to truckers are the commission’s recommendations for a 15-cent increase in the diesel fuel tax, doubling the annual Heavy Vehicle Use Tax and further increases in the truck tire tax. Also, the commission suggests more toll roads, conversion of existing public roads into toll roads, and a system to record and tax miles driven.

Before agreeing to pay more, the Association will demand that transportation tax dollars collected be used in the most effective and efficient ways to address the nation’s significant infrastructure needs.

“This is like giving your kid money and sending him to the store for milk and bread,” comments Spencer. “If he comes back asking for more money, you’ll want to know why,” continued Spencer. “You’ll also expect him to go back and actually get what he was supposed to in the first place.”

Trucks make up only 7 percent of traffic on the nation’s highways. But the various highway use taxes that truckers pay amount to more than 36 percent of the total money contributed to the Federal Highway Trust Fund. 

“Truckers are already paying more than their fair share,” said Spencer. 

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo. area. The Association currently has more than 160,000 members from all 50 states.

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