Monumental progress on our priorities.
That was the theme of the week that was in Washington. Although the one Big, Beautiful Bill absorbed much of the national attention, it was only one of several significant developments that were shaped by ATA over the course of a few days.
The week began with one of ATA’s subject matter experts testifying before a House Committee in support of independent truckers and ended with passage of the 2025 tax reconciliation package that incorporates many of ATA’s pro-trucking measures.
In between, ATA clinched a historic triumph, with Congress giving its official seal of approval to resolutions we endorsed to take the keys away from California regulators and prevent the Golden State from setting de facto national vehicle emissions policies.
These actions were the culmination of longstanding, concerted efforts to bend policy in favor of truckers. They are the product of ATA’s tenacious advocacy and reflect the motivation and dedication of our members.
Restoring Commonsense Emissions Regulations
Few issues have posed a greater threat to our supply chain than the destructive EV mandates emanating from California. These unachievable requirements on impossible timelines were incurring enormous costs and setting the trucking industry up for failure.
Last summer, ATA met with President Trump and his advisors to reopen a dialogue on truckers’ concerns and lay the groundwork for the return of commonsense environmental emissions policies. Using a multipronged strategy, ATA simultaneously partnered with our champions in Congress to advance legislation that would settle the issue decisively.
Trucking is an industry of innovators. We don’t need government mandates to tell us how to reduce our environmental impact—we’ve been doing it for forty years with a record to show, all while transporting an ever-increasing percentage of the goods that Americans expect and depend on every day.
The ATA-backed resolutions that cleared Congress last week will not only reestablish EPA’s role as the primary authority empowered to develop achievable, nationwide emissions standards, but they will also block California from issuing similar regulations in the future.
Advancing Tax Reform
Trucking is the backbone of the economy, employing over 8.5 million Americans. When the trucking industry thrives, so does the country. Our industry depends on lawmakers to support pro-business, pro-growth tax policies that create the conditions for trucking companies of all sizes to plan for the future, invest in their workforce and equipment, and ensure the safe and efficient movement of freight across the country.
For months, ATA has been promoting our priorities as Congress debated its landmark tax legislation. That preparation paid off when the House of Representatives passed the reconciliation package last week with multiple provisions that will give a boost to truckers.
Key components of the bill will enhance business certainty by reducing taxes, incentivize the purchase of new equipment, expand flexibility for CDL training programs, and invest in transportation and energy infrastructure projects.
Here are seven reasons why ATA is pushing the Senate to act swiftly and looking forward to President Trump signing the bill into law.
Defending Independent Contractors
As independent contractors increasingly come under assault from state and federal policymakers, ATA has been leading the fight to defend ICs’ right to earn a living in the manner that they choose. In a continuation of this advocacy, ATA’s VP of Workforce Policy, Nathan Mehrens, testified on Capitol Hill to make the case in favor of adding protections for independent truckers.
There are over 350,000 men and women in the trucking industry who choose the IC career path. Last year, their livelihoods were put in jeopardy when the Biden administration radically rewrote their classification, replacing a straightforward definition with an opaque and deliberately confusing standard designed to fuel frivolous litigation and deny self-employed individuals the freedom of choice to work as ICs.
ATA strongly opposed the Biden administration’s IC rule since it was first proposed, and we have been working with the new Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, to restore the first Trump administration’s definition for ICs that is based on decades of case law. While ATA welcomes this positive momentum, independent truckers ultimately need the predictability and permanency that federal law provides. Mehrens argued forcefully for Congress to codify the Trump administration’s clear, commonsense IC framework by passing the Modern Worker Empowerment Act, which was sponsored by trucking champion Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-California).
It’s no coincidence that ATA’s high-profile role in steering the direction of public policy occurred against the backdrop of our ambitious fly-in season. ATA’s Call on Washington program has already kicked into high gear after a record-setting cycle last year. Fewer than five months into the new Congress, nearly 200 truckers from approximately 20 states have traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with their Members of Congress.
Our direct engagement with lawmakers has also touched new heights, with last week’s hearing on ICs marking the fifth time this year that ATA has delivered remarks before a congressional committee.
We are in the midst of a highly complex and chaotic political environment. Yet ATA succeeds where other groups fail because our members remain unified, we maintain strong ties to influential policymakers in the Executive Branch and on Capitol Hill, and we act strategically to capitalize on opportunities to advance our priorities.
ATA is determined to prolong one big, beautiful week into one big, beautiful year for trucking.