Page 33 - ATR 2 2020 digital

— — — SPECIAL SERIES ON HIGHWAY DOLLARS AND SENSE — — —

or market. They didn’t connect towns ARKANSAS GENERAL ELECTION DATES TO REMEMBER
yet, though. When Arkansas gained Election Day: Nov. 3, 2020
statehood in 1836, all public roads were Early Voting: Oct. 19, 2020 – Nov. 2, 2020
declared public highways, and county
courts were named responsible for Voter Registration Deadline
constructing and maintaining them. Postmarked by Tue., Oct. 6, 2020
Statehood also prompted the construc- In-Person, Received by Tue., Oct. 6, 2020
tion of post roads for the U.S. Postal
Service to enable mail delivery. “By Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot:
1871, the backbone of today’s road sys- Email by Tue., Oct. 27, 2020
tem was in place,” Scoggin wrote. Deadline to Return Completed Absentee Ballot:
The existence of these routes In-Person, Received by Mon., Nov. 2, 2020
shaped where soldiers trod and people
settled, how far communities could
sprawl and which businesses would
grow. When the national highway sys- lives. Roads play an essential role in There are heroes still using the
tem was built here, connecting this land the learning, playing, working, eating, roads to shape our lives, to save our
to the rest of the country, the lives of sweating, relaxing, loving and living lives. Nurses, housekeeping, aides, EMT
the Arkansans continued to change. that we do every day. and doctors are rolling over the same
In response to the virus outbreak paths, full of potholes, to do the work.
WAY OF LIFE in our communities, we do all that Essential workers like truck drivers and
What our lives look like today is everyday stuff differently now. And to many who support them are enjoying
evidence of the roads that were made protect vulnerable populations from a less congestion now that we are using
available to us. One of the missions of virus, it may seem like we are doing it highways less, but it won’t stay that way.
the Arkansas Trucking Association is to without roads. We are going to get back out there.
educate the public on the link between But it isn’t so. We will create traffic on the way back
trucking — America’s primary freight While our way of life may be to school and the office.
delivery system — and the standard of changing, the ground is still paved The route back to our usual way of
living they enjoy. The way our lives work beneath our feet, beneath the 18 wheels life will start on the crumbling, con-
is possible because of truck drivers and of the truck that is carrying supplies for gested, but absolutely essential roads.
the quality of the roads they have to hospitals to keep treating patients, food They have carried us this far. If we want
travel. for grocers to keep feeding families, and to keep this way in and way out avail-
Right now, “the way our lives toilet paper for, well, you know. able for future emergencies, we have to
work” feels unfamiliar. As governments, fund it.
businesses, and individual families and THE MYTH? In November, Arkansans will have
citizens navigate how to carry on dur- The military value of efficient the chance to vote yes on Issue 1 to
ing the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, evacuation corridors is part-myth of our make permanent a half-cent sales tax
COVID-19, what we considered our highway system. that Arkansans already pay in order
“way of life” 8-12 weeks ago looks dif- But it’s worth noting that the to provide over $205 million annually
ferent than our reality today. streets that lead out of cities in an for state highways and bridges, plus an
A couple of months ago, ATA’s mes- emergency are the same roads travelled additional $43 million each for counties
sage of trucking’s necessity looked like by trucks who carry hope into places and cities.
this: roads for school buses to take kids levelled by tragedy. It will take a lot of educated voters
to classrooms or sports events around After every disaster, the Federal understanding how state infrastructure
the state, roads for farmers to get their Emergency Management Agency played an essential role in our lives this
crops to market, roads for families to (FEMA) calls on the trucking industry year, and every year, as we fight a global
connect with one another, roads for to deliver relief. pandemic or just go back to work.
employees to commute to the office, On April 12, Easter Sunday, six At Arkansas Trucking Association,
roads for athletes to make their prog- FedEx trucks arrived in North Little we encourage you to make sure you are
ress in the gym, roads to carry friends Rock with gloves, gowns, masks and registered to vote, know your polling
to gather ‘round the same table, roads face shields for health care providers place, and learn about the issues. ATR
for all of us to move freely in our around the state.

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2020 33