ATA Thanks Senate Appropriations Committee for Putting Safety, Data First

ARLINGTON, Va., June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the American Trucking Associations recognized the actions of the Senate Appropriations Committee for taking important steps to improve highway safety and provide environmental benefits by reducing truck traffic and easing congestion during the busiest times of day.

"We want to thank the members of the Appropriations Committee for moving forward a 2016 spending bill that advances the cause of safety and protects the environment," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "In particular, I want to recognize Senators Collins and Shelby for their work to move us forward as an industry and a country."

The bill passed today includes continued suspension and robust study of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's hours-of-service restart restrictions and modest increases in tandem trailer length, both of which will improve safety by reducing truck traffic and keeping trucks off the road during peak travel times.

"We know that the FMCSA's restart restrictions increased truck traffic during the day time leading to an increase in accidents and we know that a modest increase in tandem trailer length will eliminate millions of truck trips annually," Graves said. "Further, we know the leading causes of truck crashes are the actions of other vehicles, so the best way eliminate crashes on our highways is to limit interactions between trucks and cars. This bill takes steps to do that, and so we thank the committee members and urge the full Senate to move this bill to President Obama for his signature."

American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Trucking Moves America Forward 

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SOURCE American Trucking Associations