
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association adamantly opposes recently introduced legislation that would drastically increase insurance costs for our nation’s small-business truckers. According to OOIDA, H.R. 3781, the INSURANCE Act, would effectively put countless small-business truckers out of business. OOIDA is the largest association representing the interests of small-business truckers with more than 160,000 members nationwide.

The Owner-Operator Independent Driver’s Association welcomes Bryce Mongeon to the Washington DC office as Director of Legislative Affairs. He will share responsibility in advancing the Association’s government affairs agenda on behalf of OOIDA members.

Recent research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics supports what the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been saying for years, that there is not a shortage of truck drivers.“We have often said that the notion of a driver shortage is a myth,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA President. “Our greatest concern about the perpetuation of the myth is that the misinformation is used to push agendas that are harmful to the industry and highway safety.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association cosigned a letter today along with a coalition of organizations opposed to increasing size and weight restrictions for commercial motor vehicles. The letter was sent to all members Congress, asking them to oppose legislative language that would increase maximum truck size or weight limits on federal highways.

Among the many issues raised today at a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, two caught the attention of small-business truckers. One was connected directly to infrastructure and one was not, but both are closely related to highway safety.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association introduced a video dispelling the myth that there is a shortage of truck drivers in the United States. “We created this video because we are concerned that messaging in mainstream media is missing the mark on the issue of high turnover,” said Norita Taylor, director of public relations at OOIDA. “The real problem is driver churn caused by low pay and poor working conditions.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association applauds the remarks of several small-businesses in the transportation industry as they testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business on Wednesday, Nov. 29.The hearing, dubbed “Highway to Headache: Federal Regulations on the Small Trucking Industry,” was an opportunity to provide input on the vital role small businesses play in the overall economy and highway safety.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association thanks those members of the U.S. House of Representatives that showed support for certain trucking-related amendments to H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act.

An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by a national association of small-business truckers will not be reviewed. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association contends that a mandate to electronically track commercial truck drivers was never about safety and that the government was never able to demonstrate how such a mandate would improve safety.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the nation’s only organization representing professional and small-business truckers, created a video demonstrating the dangers of speed limited trucks.The video is designed not only for the trucking community, but also for all highway users, so that they can learn the dangers of speed differentials created by artificially speed limiting large trucks.