The coalition sent a letter on Sept. 16 to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), ranking member, of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), chairman, and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, ranking member, of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The four bills are:
• The Stop Underrides Act (H.R. 1511/S. 665): which would require the installation of front, side and rear underride guards on all trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) that exceeds 10,000 pounds and all single-unit trucks with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds and a carriage that is more than 22 inches above the ground.
• The Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act of 2019 (S. 2033): which would mandate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) over 26,000 pounds to be equipped with speed limiters set to 65 mph.
• The Safe Roads Act (H.R. 3773): which would require new CMVs to be equipped with and utilize an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system.
• The INSURANCE Act (H.R. 3781): which would increase the minimum liability coverage for motor carriers from $750,000 to over $4.9 million. This increase would apply to all businesses transporting property, not just long-haul trucking operations.
In addition to TRAA, the other members of the coalition are: the Agricultural Retailers Association; Agriculture Transportation Coalition; American Dairy Coalition; American Farm Bureau Federation; American Pipeline Contractors Association; American Pyrotechnics Association; Associated Equipment Distributors; Associated Oregon Loggers; Association of Professional Towers of Ohio; Corn Refiners Association; Distribution Contractors Association; Mid-West Truckers Association; National Asphalt Pavement Association; National Association of Small Trucking Companies; National Cotton Council; National Cotton Ginners’ Association; National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National Grain and Feed Association; National Hay Association; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association; National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association; National Utility Contractors Association; National Wildfire Suppression Association; NFIB; North American Millers’ Association; Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; Police Towers of America; Power and Communications Contractors Association; Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute; and United States Cattlemen’s Association.
