Our nation’s economy, literally and figuratively, runs on transportation infrastructure — the roads, highways and bridges that underpin commerce and the unique mobility we enjoy as Americans. This infrastructure has been neglected for far too long, and is showing clear signs of strain that if not addressed quickly and strategically, will have catastrophic consequences. We cannot decouple our nation’s economic vitality from our critical infrastructure.
When it comes to transportation infrastructure, no state is left untouched by budget cuts and neglect. And no industry feels the impact of this neglect more acutely than trucking, which puts billions of miles on America’s highways annually, delivers over 80 percent of our nation’s goods, and provides roughly one in every 17 jobs.
The deferral and delay of critical infrastructure improvements has come at a huge price. The bottlenecks caused by congested and ill-maintained highways reduce transportation efficiency, which increases the costs of goods, creates hours of wasted time battling traffic and wastes millions of gallons of fuel. Society and the health of our economy suffer as a result.
As it does every six years, Congress is considering an omnibus transportation infrastructure funding package. This process sets the priorities for hundreds of billions of dollars in modernization projects that transform and shape our communities — and our global economic competitiveness — for years to come.
There is no debate about the need for reconstruction of our nation’s highways. What’s missing is the will on the part of our elected leaders to act decisively in a timely manner, and agree on how these critical improvements will be funded. Experience tells us that collecting fuel taxes at the pump is efficient and expedient. It’s a proven method that consumes far less administrative overhead compared to tolling or a vehicle mileage-use taxes.
Highway infrastructure modernization is one area where the trucking industry is willing to lead with its checkbook. Carriers support paying higher fuel taxes as long as these increased revenues are NOT diverted to non-highway uses. We also would support other user-based funding plans as long as those monies are dedicated to strategic highway projects and the modernization of the national transportation system where capacity is increased.