Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

1 OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO 64029
Web Site: www.ooida.com
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Contact: press@ooida.com
Headquarters: (816) 229-5791

For Immediate Release

OOIDA: Bipartisan Senate highway bill not too shabby compared to House version

Absence of insurance increase is a massive relief for truckers Pilot program for 18-20 year old drivers is an improvement over DRIVE Safe Act

The U.S. Senate’s Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee’s bipartisan highway bill is not nearly as disappointing as the bill passed last week by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

That is the response from leadership at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association regarding today’s Committee markup. The bill, introduced by the panel’s Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS), was considered by the full committee today and ultimately approved by a vote of 25-3.

“It could have been far worse and is much better than what the House produced last week,” explained Todd Spencer, President and CEO of OOIDA.

“It’s a relief that the most harmful trucking provisions that were originally promoted in the Senate did not make it into the bill,” Spencer continued. “OOIDA led the fight against several provisions that were rejected in a bipartisan manner.”

“We remain staunchly opposed to allowing drivers 18 to 20 years old to enter the long-haul industry, but we appreciate the careful negotiations among stakeholders and Senators resulting in a three-year pilot program. While not perfect, it’s better than fully opening up licenses to teen drivers as proposed in the DRIVE-Safe Act. We’re also pleased the Committee was able to enhance some provisions related to truck driver trainers and include a critical compensation study.”

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