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Award-Winning Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association
Arkansas Trucking Report is owned by the arkansas Trucking association,
inc. and is published bimonthly by Matthews publishing group. for
additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or to become a
subscriber to ATR, contact abby crossland at 501.372.3462.
publisher capTain OBviOus
JENNIFER MATThEWS
Matthews Publishing Group
jennifer@matthewspublishing.com The fact that America’s infrastructure is crumbling is not in dispute. The
executive editor hard part? Finding the will to pay more for it.
ShANNoN NEWToN
managing editor
BEThANy MAy It’s no surprise. There are few things more contentious in politics and in our national discourse
contributing writers
STEVE BRAWNER JohN SChULz than taxes. States all across the country, and elected representatives in Washington DC are
brawnersteve@mac.com jdschulz50@aol.com
JENNIFER BARNETT REED ToDD TRAUB grappling with how to generate enough revenue to support not only current spending but the
jbreed13@gmail.com toddtraub@centurytel.net higher levels needed to make improvements to the system.
JIM hARRIS KELLy CARGILL CRoW
jimharris@arktimes.com kellyccrow@gmail.com
art director Our nation’s roads and bridges are funded by fuel tax—a fuel tax that hasn’t been adjusted to
JoN D. KENNEDy
The Freelance Co. LLC, freelanceco@comcast.net keep pace with inflation in decades. As receipts dwindle due to increased fuel efficiency, there is
production editors
SARAh ShEETS, KATIE ThoMASoN palpable pressure to find new, viable road funding mechanisms.
illustrator
BRENT BENNETT
brentdraw@att.net The latest buzzworthy acronym to hit the highway funding symposium circuit as a potential
photographers
JoN D. KENNEDy, BoB oCKEN, JohN DAVID PITTMAN solution is “VMT.” The vehicle miles traveled tax, also known as a mileage-based fee or road user
charge, is a policy of charging motorists based on how many miles they have traveled. It’s a tax,
just a new and seemingly different type of tax that doesn’t always have “t-a-x” in the title.
The concept seems logical and typically excites those new to the table discussing the troubles
www.arkansastrucking.com surrounding transportation funding.
president
ShANNoN SAMPLES NEWToN
shannonnewton@arkansastrucking.com However, there are actually a number of very compelling arguments againt a VMT tax. Estimates
director of operations
SARAh NEWMAN ShEETS indicate a VMT system would encounter administrative overhead between 30 to 40 percent,
sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com
director of safety services more than even tolling (30 percent). And the technology to gather the data and a government
DAVID o’NEAL
davidoneal@arkansastrucking.com agency to enforce compliance of 250 million American vehicle-owning self-reporting tax-payers
communications coordinator
BEThANy MAy just doesn’t exist.
bethanymay@arkansastrucking.com
corporate services coordinator
KATIE ThoMASoN These challenges and others to VMT tax implementation were addressed recently by the Oregon
katiethomason@arkansastrucking.com
executive assistant Department of Transportation in a pilot study. These included the efficiency and reliability of
CARA SPEEGLE
caraspeegle@arkansastrucking.com the technology required, the cost of fitting vehicle-monitoring equipment, public acceptance and
ChAIRMAN oF ThE BoARD
G.E. “BUTCh” RICE III privacy issues.
Stallion Transportation Group
President & CEo
BoARD oF DIRECToRS When the current mechanism isn’t generating the revenue we need, how could this less efficient
MARR LyNN BEARDEN MARK MoRRIS
Marrlin Transit, Inc. Morris Transportation, Inc. and more cumbersome method be seriously considered as a viable alternative?
President President
ALLEN BERRy PAT REED
Central States Manufacturing, Inc. FedEx Freight
Transportation Director Executive Vice President & Coo The best option to solve the short-term needs is, of course, the most obvious, well-known and
GREG CARMAN TRACy RoSSER
Carman, Inc. Walmart Transportation readily available… the fuel tax.
President Senior Vice President
DAN CUShMAN GARy SALISBURy
P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. FTL Custom Commodities In 2015, thirteen (13) different states have either passed or are seriously considering
President & CEo President & CEo
CRAIG hARPER WAyNE SMITh
J.B. hunt Transport, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc. implementing fuel tax increases to fund their transportation needs.
Executive Vice President & Coo President
AL hERINGER IV VICKI JoNES STEPhENS
Star Transportation, Inc. C.C. Jones, Inc. The fact is that fuel taxes remain the most cost-efficient method of taxation available.
Vice President President

JEFF LESTER TIM ThoRNE The administrative cost to collect and distribute the fuel tax dollars received is less than 2
USA Truck ABF Freight
Executive Vice President, President & CEo
Risk Management and Safety ToDD VENABLE percent, meaning that 98 cents of every dollar collected in fuel tax goes back to fund the
PhILIP MAhoNEy MhC Kenworth of Little Rock
Great West Casualty Co. Branch Manager roads and bridges.
Executive Vice President DoUG VoSS
BRyAN MCDUFFIE University of Central Arkansas
Tyson Foods, Inc. Associate Professor of Logistics The fuel tax applies efficiently and fairly to all motorists in order to maintain the city streets,
Vice President Transportation
Distribution STEVE WILLIAMS
Maverick USA
MIKE MCNUTT Chairman & CEo county roads, state highways and the interstate system that we depend on to enjoy the standard
Distribution Solutions, Inc.
CEo, owner of living we have become accustomed to.
an affiliate of the american Trucking
associations The fuel tax is not the enemy. Our reluctance to adapt and evolve the tax, to capture present day
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the realities, is to blame. If our vehicles are getting more
trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs
representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of miles per gallon, we should be paying more tax per
government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also
provides public relations services, workers’ compensation insurance, operational gallon, period.
services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185
Post office Box 3476 (72203)
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Shannon Newton
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810 Drivers Legal Plan
www.arkansastrucking.com President, Arkansas Trucking Association
arkansas Trucking repOrT | issue 4 2015 7
Drivers Legal Plan