Arlington, Virginia – Today, American Trucking Associations leaders thanked the Truckload Carriers Association for their contribution of $50,000 to the industry’s ongoing challenge to Rhode Island’s predatory truck-only tolls scheme.
“This suit is a must-win for our industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “if Rhode Island’s extortionary tolling plan is allowed to stand, it will be replicated across the country. This is an all-hands on deck situation, so we are grateful for TCA’s support in this critical fight.”
ATA, through the ATA Litigation Center, and a number of carriers based in New England, sued Rhode Island over its RhodeWorks tolling program that specifically targets the trucking industry. The industry’s challenge is currently being weighed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
“TCA’s contribution to this ongoing effort will be critical to our success,” said ATA Chairman Harold Sumerford Jr., CEO of J&M Tank Lines. “We appreciate their leadership in making this a priority for their members and our industry.”
“Supporting the ATA litigation efforts to prevent this unfair practice of discriminatory tolling is an easy sell. Stopping the measure in Rhode Island will ensure that our industry is united in its effort and willing to prevent this tactic from spreading across the nation” said TCA Chairman Jim Ward, president of D.M. Bowman Inc. “The financial support that we provide ATA will go a long way towards aggressively litigating the case at hand and spreading the message that our industry won’t sit idly by waiting for other states to target our trucks.”
Ward and TCA First Vice Chairman John Elliott, CEO of Load One LLC, presented the $50,000 check to Spear and Sumerford at ATA’s recent Executive Meeting in Austin, Texas.