Page 41 - ATR 6 2013 digital

future of this country.” 2013. Pilot Flying J is paying custom-
Recent actions by Republicans in ers’ administrative costs and legal fees
Washington, Graves said, will serve to as well as the costs of an independent
“poliTical chaNge is hurt Republicans nationally and boost accounting firm.
uNder way, aNd maNy Democrats. According to Forbes, Pilot Flying J is
of The TradiTioNal the country’s sixth largest private com-
allegiaNces The jiMMy haslaM, pany, with $31 billion in sales. It was
founded in 1958 by Haslam’s father, Jim
cEo, Pilot flyiNg j
busiNess commuNiTy An FBI raid in Haslam. Pilot merged with bankrupt
has had wiTh The April of the Pilot Flying J in 2010. The company has 600
republicaN parTy Flying J headquarter in locations in 43 states and Canada.
Knoxville, Tenn. trig-
are Necessarily gered an ongoing fed- sEcrEtary of traNsPortatioN
goiNg To Need To be eral investigation into aNthoNy foxx
re-eValuaTed.” discrepancies involving On April 29,
the amount of fuel rebates promised President Obama
nominated Anthony
to carriers and launched owner, Jimmy
—bill graVes, Haslam, into the spotlight. R. Foxx, the mayor of
presideNT & ceo, americaN Haslam, owner of the Cleveland Charlotte, N.C., for
TruckiNg associaiToNs Browns and brother to Tennessee the position of secre-

Governor Bill Haslam, said that a tary of transportation,
25-member internal audit team had replacing Republican Ray LaHood, a for-
Republican Party are necessarily going been working, along with other regional mer Republican congressman who led
to need to be re-evaluated,” he said. accounting firms, to determine the the Transportation Department for four
A former Republican Kansas gover- extent of the money owed. The fraudu- years and said in January that he would
nor, Graves said trucking continues to lent activities were an “extremely step down as soon as his successor was
play a central role in the U.S. economy, small percentage of the total discounts confirmed. Foxx was unanimously con-
despite the myriad of challenges fac- and rebates paid out, and a fractional firmed by the Senate for the position in
ing the industry and called on truck- amount of Pilot Flying J’s sales dur- June.
ing to embrace looming changes. ing that eight-and-a-half year period,” Foxx, 42, served as mayor for nearly
Specifically, he pointed to challenges he said. The company wrote checks to four years earned a law degree from
from Washington, the rail industry and companies it believed were due money New York University. He worked as a
economic pressures as being threats to after completing its initial audit and is lawyer for a private firm as well as for
the industry, taking direct aim at cur- continuing to pay what it discovers it the House Judiciary Committee and the
rent dysfunction within the Republican owes. Justice Department before returning to
Party. Following the raid, a lawsuit was Charlotte to begin his political career.
“Political change is under way, filed by National Trucking Financial While Foxx does not have a trans-
and many of the traditional allegiances Reclamation Services, an assignment portation background, he did work as
the business community has had with company created by Arkansas Trucking mayor to extend a light-rail line, open
the Republican Party are necessarily Association President Lane Kidd. On another runway at the airport, complete
going to need to be re-evaluated,” said July 16, Judge Moody assigned the case a major highway widening, improve a
Graves, pointing a finger at Tea Party class action status, allowing all affected major bridge and bring streetcars back
sympathizers. “While it’s appropriate, parties to participate. On November to Charlotte.
and there is certainly merit in advocat- 25 in a Little Rock, Ark. courtroom, “Ensuring that our transportation
ing for reduced government spending, U.S. District Judge James M. Moody system is the safest in the world will
smaller government, reducing our debt, approved an $84.9 million settle- be my top priority,” he told the Senate
limiting regulations and controlling ment declaring it fair, reasonable and Commerce Committee. He also vowed
the reach and intrusive nature of the adequate. to continue his predecessor’s campaign
federal government—insisting on having Carriers are entitled to unpaid against distracted driving, look for cre-
things their way, without a hint of will- rebates and discounts plus an annual ative ways to fund the nation’s highway
ingness to compromise and threatening simple interest rate of six percent for and transit programs, and encourage
to ‘burn the house down’ otherwise, is each year the principal was unpaid for the use of innovative technologies.
a combination of foolish, ill-advised, fuel purchased for Class 7-8 vehicles
reckless and detrimental actions to the between Jan. 1, 2005, and July 15,

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