ATA President & CEO Chris Spear Testifies Before Senate Commerce
Last Tuesday, ATA President & CEO Chris Spear testified at a Senate hearing where he laid out the top priorities of the trucking industry as Congress prepares to write the next Highway Bill. The hearing was held by the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and also gathered testimony from the leaders of the Teamsters, OOIDA, and the American Bus Association.
Spear took advantage of the opportunity to highlight the most important needs of the trucking industry relating to safety programs and technology requirements, workforce development, protecting our supply chains, and ensuring sustainable investments in roads and bridges. Committee members agreed with the need to emphasize roadway safety, particularly in regard to ensuring English-language proficiency, the deployment of proven drug-testing protocols, and putting trucks with advanced safety technologies on the highway. Discussions also covered the important opportunities for autonomous technologies to complement drivers and help move freight more safely and efficiently, and for federal resources to be deployed to fight the scourge of cargo theft.
Next year’s debate will determine the scope of an extension for the historic 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which ATA strongly supported. ATA will work with members of the Committee to renew and extend the SDAP program at FMCSA for younger drivers, encourage commonsense requirements for safety technologies that have proven benefits, increase federal attention on the growing threat of cargo theft, and make robust investments in key infrastructure to reduce freight bottlenecks.
House Committees Advance Key Trucking-Supported Bills
Last Wednesday, two House Committees approved bills that are supported by ATA and which will help to address critical needs of the trucking industry. Most importantly, with attendees of the 2nd Annual ATA Women In Motion Call on Washington in attendance, the House Education and Workforce Committee approved H.R. 1319, the Modern Worker Empowerment Act. At the same time, the House Veterans Affairs Committee advanced the H.R. 2954, the Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act as part of a 25-bill markup.
The Modern Worker Empowerment Act is a bill led by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) that would establish a clear and predictable test to be applied by all federal agencies for determining whether a worker is classified as an independent contractor. This straightforward definition would replace competing, opaque, and deliberately confusing standards and would help to protect the independent contractor model that is at the heart of the trucking industry. The bill cleared the Education and Workforce Committee by a vote of 19-16.
The Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act is a bill led by Rep. Chris Pappas (R-NH) that will cut red tape for veterans seeking to enter the trucking workforce by allowing the VA to streamline approval of interstate motor carrier apprenticeship programs. This bill will make it easier for carriers to have programs approved to enroll veterans and help them begin fulfilling careers in trucking. The Committee approved the bill by unanimous consent.
ATA supports these measures and will now work to ensure their prompt consideration and passage by the full House of Representatives.
Barrs FMCSA Nomination Set for Committee Vote on Wednesday
After holding another hearing last Wednesday to discuss Department of Transportation nominees, the Senate Commerce Committee announced that it will vote on six nominees this Wednesday, including Derek Barrs’ nomination to serve as the next FMCSA Administrator.
The Committee heard from Barrs during a hearing on July 16th, where he had positive interactions with Committee members and did not solicit major objections. ATA submitted a letter of support prior to that hearing and will encourage all Committee members to vote in favor of advancing the Barrs nomination to the Senate floor.
Upon Barrs’ nomination, ATA President & CEO Chris Spear stated, “Derek’s deep knowledge of the trucking industry and his collaborative approach will make him an invaluable asset to USDOT. Under his leadership, the trucking industry is confident that FMCSA will make significant progress towards achieving our shared priorities of improving highway safety and efficiently delivering the nation’s freight. ATA welcomes Derek’s nomination to this important role, and we urge Senators to swiftly approve his nomination.”
In addition to Barrs, the Committee will also vote on the nominations of Jonathan Morrison to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Seval Oz to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Development, and Michael Rutherford to be the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy.
Senate Confirms Szabo to Key EPA Emissions Post
Last Wednesday, the Senate voted to confirm Aaron Szabo to lead the EPA Office of Air and Radiation by a vote of 49-47. In this position, Szabo will lead the agency’s actions related to reconsidering and rewriting unworkable emissions standards from the Biden Administration.
In March, ATA wrote a letter of support to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in support of Szabo’s nomination. The letter of support noted that his “work as Senior Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, as well as his experience in the Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, offers insights into how he will approach enormously important issues for America’s truckers. In conversations with ATA’s leadership, he has demonstrated a dedication to working collaboratively and providing thoughtful feedback to the needs of trucking.”
ATA looks forward to working with him in the role now that he has been confirmed by the Senate.
Senate Appropriators Approve Transportation Funding Bill
Last Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan proposal to fund the Department of Transportation, clearing it for consideration by the full Senate. A similar measure is also awaiting debate by the full House of Representatives, and the two bills will need to be reconciled before sending a final spending measure to the President’s desk.
The Senate bill provides $63.3 billion in funding for the Federal Highway Administration, an increase of $1.5 billion over the current enacted level, and $926.6 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an increase of $17.6 million from the current year. The bill and accompanying report include direction to the Department to eliminate red tape from the FMCSA Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program (SDAP) for young drivers, address distracted and impaired driving, enforce English-language proficiency requirements, provide resources to combat cargo theft, and study the growing issue of predatory towing. While the Committee did include language in its proposal that directs DOT to continue efforts to fund truck parking projects through discretionary grants, the Senate did not choose to provide the additional $200 million specifically provided by the House of Representatives’ proposal.
ATA will work closely with the Committees and champions of the industry in both the House and Senate to ensure that any final compromise spending bill addresses the trucking industry’s priorities.
Committee Notes for Week Ending July 25th
- Last Wednesday, July 23rd, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing to gather the perspectives of state Departments of Transportation officials on priorities for the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill. Key issues discussed included allowing states flexibility through formula-based funding, making permitting reform more efficient to speed project delivery, and receiving an update on the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
- Last Thursday, July 24th, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). During the hearing, Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) focused on oversight of the ESOP program and ways to strengthen the program, such as proposals to allow ESOP contributions to workers’ 401(k)s. There was bipartisan agreement on finding ways to grow Americans’ retirement savings, providing more options to ESOPs, and increasing awareness of ESOPs.
- The Committee also voted last Thursday to advance several nominations to the Senate floor for confirmation. Nominees included a new Occupational Safety and Health Review Commissioner and a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner.
- Last Wednesday, July 23rd, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on concerns of rising U.S. energy demand, and the increasing lack of deployable energy to meet this new demand. The Committee gathered testimony from grid, data, and energy corporation stakeholders on the increasing power demands from Artificial Intelligence (AI), electric vehicles, and consumers.
- Last week, the House Ways & Means Committee kicked off recess with two field hearings on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) in Last Vegas on Friday, July 25th, and at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Saturday, July 26th. Witnesses at both hearings included a restaurant server, a DoorDash driver, a paint foreman, small business owners, manufacturers, hospitality specialists, a rancher, and state legislators. Witnesses described the positive impacts that codifying the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, no tax on tips, elimination of the death tax, and other bill provisions would have on their lives.
- Last Tuesday, July 22nd, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing to review the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). The hearing included conversations about the $40 million request to fund the salaries, operations, and capital needs of the FMC; implementing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA); and restoring American maritime dominance.
- Last Tuesday, July 22nd, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on how the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) can better protect employee benefits. Discussions included how frivolous investigations by EBSA waste time and resources, and the need for EBSA to close cases faster. Members discussed the need to increase the transparency of Department of Labor (DOL) engagements with plaintiffs' lawyers in employee benefit plan cases.
- Also last Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss pipeline safety. Issues addressed included rulemaking for the PIPES Act, closing penalty loopholes for pipeline vandalism, and examining how technologies, like AI, can increase efficiency in the pipeline system.
Grassroots Update
Last week, 22 members of ATA’s Women In Motion Council visited D.C. for their second annual Call on Washington. The group included drivers, independent contractors, and trucking leaders. The group started their Hill day with a female trucking congressional champions breakfast with Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA). Then, WIM COW attendees from 12 states participated in 37 meetings. Some meetings of note in the House were with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), and Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL). Over in the Senate, key meetings were with Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and James Lankford (R-OK). These meetings focused on ways Congress can improve the lives of women in the trucking industry by reducing barriers to entry; fostering a safe and productive workplace; and preserving vital pathways to entrepreneurship.
In addition to their meetings, attendees also witnessed the Modern Worker Empowerment Act pass through the House Education & Workforce Committee and celebrated its passage with Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI). To wrap up their Hill visits, the group hosted a reception in the Capitol with Reps. Mike Bost (R-IL), Mike Collins (R-GA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Tom Barrett (R-MI) and House T&I Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA).
On Thursday, WIM attendees went to DOL HQ to meet with Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and his team. WIM attendees shared powerful stories about why they choose to be independent contractors or company drivers; discussed ways to recruit and retain women in the industry; and called for oversight of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding to support CDL training programs.
If you are interested in scheduling or attending a Call on Washington or hosting a truck terminal visit with your Member of Congress when he or she is back in the state, please email Abbey Schroeder (aschroeder@trucking.org).
The Week Ahead
The House has adjourned until after Labor Day, but the Senate will be in session next week. The next Hill Report will be sent on August 4th.