Page 37 - Arkansas Trucking Report Volume 23 Issue 2

and now the headlines predict, no carry a little copy of it in their pocket.
infrastructure until after midterms in They love to wave it around at the
November, presumably because while campaign events and say how wedded
everyone agrees infrastructure improve- they are to the Constitution. I seriously
ment is necessary, the conversation doubt they have taken the time to actu-
about how to pay for it is hard one to ally read it.
have. “Cause if they had, they’d look at
‘We’ve testified now before the Article 1 and understand that the two
Senate and the House, shaping our posi- core things that they are responsible
tion and hopefully the broader policy for doing is defense and infrastructure-
that’s part of this infrastructure bill. -and here they are proposing to devolve
We assembled a task force made up of infrastructure to the states because they
our members to create a policy that has don’t want to touch it. They don’t want
now become the Build America Fund. to raise the revenue and they want no
This is a 20 cent increase in the user fee federal role in administering the over-
phased in 5 cents a year, over 4 years. sight.” “THAT’S THE FIRST
That’s $340 billion of new, real money- Spear explains that a state like TIME THAT A SITTING
-very conservative to administer, less Texas or California might not directly PRESIDENT HAS EVEN
than 1 penny on the dollar. suffer from that kind of thinking,
“It’s very conservative, doesn’t add because those states could raise the UTTERED THE WORDS
anything to the deficit and shores up cash and administer the program, but ‘FUEL TAX’ SINCE
the trust fund.” the states where he’s from — Wyoming 1993. FIRST TIME. WE
Spear would contend that there’s or Nebraska — rely on the federal part-
not another policy being debated in nership to fund the interstates and DID THAT. WE ARE
Washington that does all three of those highways. Furthermore, it’s not just the CHANGING THIS TOXIC,
things. poorer states that are affected because DIVISIVE ENVIRONMENT
Reports say that the President has the interstates are necessary to inter- BY USING ALL OF THE
mentioned raising the fuel tax to fund state commerce. “Trucks and cars don’t
infrastructure in White House meet- stop on the state line because one state TOOLS AVAILABLE
ings, but if he actually consistently can afford it and the other can’t.” TO US, AND WE ARE
endorses that option still remains to be That is the core responsibility in the STAYING UNITED.
seen. Constitution, Spear says, and he takes
But Spear’s spirit is not damp- seriously the responsibility of pointing WE PICKED AN ISSUE
ened by the idea that Pres. Trump may that out. THAT WE ALL AGREE
not put his weight behind a user fee, “Look at our economy and how ON — LARGE AND
because the mere mention is progress. it’s grown since the ’50s, since the SMALL.”
“That’s the first time that a sitting Eisenhower administration. We were a
president has even uttered the words part of that. We invested in that, and
‘fuel tax’ since 1993. First time. We today, we contribute nearly half the tab
did that. We are changing this toxic, in the Highway Trust Fund. And we’re food, more for our clothes. Costs come
divisive environment by using all of the now advocating investing more, and down when you eliminate congestion,
tools available to us, and we are staying what will that do? Well, we lose right so that’s a very measurable thing that
united. We picked an issue that we all now as an industry $63.4 billion a year comes from investment.”
agree on — large and small.” sitting in traffic. We track and report The argument is both about legisla-
The tougher critics will, of course, on it every year with the US DOT. tor’s Constitutional duties, but it’s also
be Republican lawmakers that have That’s 62,000 drivers sitting idle for an numbers. He talks faster and punctu-
come to Washington taking no new entire year, sitting in traffic because we ates his points with audible frustra-
revenue pledges. And on this issue, are not investing in infrastructure. If tion, when he explains that average
Spear is noticeably miffed. you alleviate traffic, you free up com- motorists — not truckers — spend $1500
“These are the same people that merce. You free up commerce, things annually because of inaction. The cost
raise their right hand and swore on get delivered at an earlier point in time. of congestion and vehicles damaged on
the Bible that they would protect and That shaves costs. That is not passed unmaintained roads is less than motor-
defend the Constitution of the United on to consumers like you and I that are ists would be charged at the pump.
States. These are the same people that paying more for a coffee, more for our 

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2018 37