Page 22 - ATR 6 2015 web 2

ATA President and CEO Bill Graves
said in Little Rock that reforming CSA
was an important step in making high-
ways safer
“Let me just tell you, the reason I “what i’m worried aBout is the carrier that’s
think getting CSA reform is important somehow operatiNg uNsafely that the system
is not so much because I’m really ter-
ribly concerned about a good, safe car- doesN’t recogNize, aNd iNstead of deployiNg
rier who somehow gets pegged as not resources to go iNterveNe, they somehow are
safe. I’m convinced eventually you’ll still out there operatiNg.”
get that worked out,” he said. “The fact
that you’re safe is what we’re looking
for. What I’m worried about is the car- —Bill graves,
rier that’s somehow operating unsafely americaN truckiNg associatioNs presideNt aNd ceo
that the system doesn’t recognize, and
instead of deploying resources to go
intervene, they somehow are still out
there operating.”
The final bill requires that regula- is starting its first career. The American easier test for substance abusers to beat.
tory impact analyses be conducted to Trucking Associations says trucking The FAST Act directs the Department of
support new rules. Before promulgating faces a shortage of 48,000 drivers that Health and Human Services to establish
any new regulations, FMCSA is required could reach almost 175,000 by 2024. hair testing standards within one year.
to issue an advance notice of proposed While both the House and Senate
rulemaking to gather data or to conduct versions of the bill included limited stAte Vs. federAl lAws
a negotiated rulemaking. graduated CDL provisions, the new law Another priority for the motor car-
Dealing with regulations is an is much more limited than the industry rier industry was upholding the Federal
important priority, because there have would have hoped. The FAST Act estab- Aviation Administration Authorization
been a lot of them lately. Osiecki said lishes a pilot program for veteran driv- Act’s requirement that federal law
President Obama is on a path to impose ers under age 21. trumps state law regarding trucking’s
nearly 50 percent more costly regula- “It’s good news that Congress prices, routes and services. A California
tions – those with at least a $100 mil- has created an opportunity for young law gives drivers a 30-minute meal
lion impact on the economy – than did veterans to transition to the trucking break every five hours and a 10-minute
President Bush. The Obama adminis- industry,” Graves said of the bill’s cre- break every four hours. The trucking
tration has already published 432 such ation of the pilot program for certain industry is required to comply with
regulations, while Bush imposed 390 in veterans under 21 to drive commercially up to 50 different meal and rest break
eight years. across state lines. “We are, however, laws, in addition to national stan-
But that pace could slow, at least disappointed that qualified, young, non- dards. The House version clarified that
for a while. Graves said rule makings military CDL holders cannot have the Congress intended a single standard for
tend to become less frequent as a presi- same opportunity because we believe it is breaks. The Senate version was silent on
dential election nears. Then after the illogical to allow these younger drivers to the issue.
election, a flood of “midnight regula- operate in intrastate commerce in each Again, the Senate’s silence was
tions” tends to occur. of the 48 contiguous states, but not let reflected in the final law. There is no
them cross state borders. It is puzzling mention of the patchwork of state rules
grAduAted cdls why Congress would dispense with lan- that may conflict with each other and
The state and national associations guage from both chambers that was very cause confusion about which regula-
have both supported creating a gradu- similar in many respects in favor of a tions apply to a driver at any given point
ated CDL program that would allow provision that was so starkly different.” in transit.
drivers under age 21 to engage in lim- Though there is much to celebrate
ited interstate commerce. Those younger drug testIng oPtIons that Congress has come together to pro-
drivers can only drive within one state, The trucking industry has also duce a substantive highway bill, we have
which limits their ability to participate strongly supported giving motor carri- an election year ahead of us. “Don’t
in the industry. It also makes it harder ers the option of drug testing using hair expect there to be a whole lot of action
for the industry to recruit new drivers samples rather than a urinalysis, which in terms of policy in 2016,” Graves said.
from that all-important age group that has been required even though it’s the ATR

22 ArkAnsAs truckIng rePort | Issue 6 2015