Fleetowner 1069 Road2
Fleetowner 1069 Road2
Fleetowner 1069 Road2
Fleetowner 1069 Road2
Fleetowner 1069 Road2

Battling over highway bill delay

July 21, 2009
Opposition remains strong in many corners to a White House-directed effort to put off a vote on the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the “highway bill,” for nearly two years

Opposition remains strong in many corners to a White House-directed effort to put off a vote on the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the “highway bill,” for nearly two years.

The Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee approved by 18-1 an 18-month extension of federal highway programs from October of this year through March 2011; a policy President Obama’s administration strongly supports. Yet that delay is drawing fire from state transportation executives, business groups, and even civil engineers as they fear such temporizing may only worsen transportation infrastructure issues.

“We have serious concerns about … delaying action on this critical legislation,” said D. Wayne Klotz, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). “The nation’s highway and transit network is facing a myriad of challenges. [Our] 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded Roads at a D-, Transit at a D, and Bridges at a C. Additionally, we estimate that it will require a five year investment of nearly $1.2 trillion to bring just these three categories up to an acceptable condition.”

Klotz also noted that, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2009 Urban Mobility Report, traffic congestion in major metropolitan areas imposes $87 billion each year in lost productivity and wasted fuel costs. “These challenges will not solve themselves and will only get worse over the next 18 months,” he said.

"Now is the time to drive infrastructure improvements that work for people and the businesses that serve them by supporting jobs, speeding commerce and enhancing safety," said Janet Kavinoky, director of transportation infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "America's transportation system is aging and increasingly incapable of supporting the 21st century economy. Congress and the Obama administration need to make passing highway and public transportation reauthorization a top priority."

However, Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-CA), Chairman of the EPW committee, doesn’t see it that way.
Her committee’s 18-month extension of the current highway bill – the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” or “SAFETEA-LU” – maintains funding at 2009 levels while giving Congress time to develop what she calls a “transformational transportation bill with a stable, reliable funding source” for the future.

A DOT spokesperson told FleetOwner that this extension offers “an opportunity” to initially put in place a limited set of carefully thought-out reforms that can eventually form the basis for further reforms in a full six-year reauthorization.

Yet other groups contend putting off reauthorization now might close that window of opportunity on reform.

“Having a long-term program in place for six years as opposed to 18 months is in the best interest of planning and investments,” said Brian Deery, senior director of highway and transportation building division at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

“The feeling that you can put this off for 18 months then come back and solve all the [transportation funding] problems is simply not realistic,” he told FleetOwner. “In 18 months, we’ll be dealing with a new Congress, so we’ll in some ways need to start over from square one to get back up to where we are now on the highway bill. Besides, who knows what the next crisis will be? Something else may arise that again delays work on highway funding.”

All of that is critical, Deery stressed, because highway construction requires significant investment in equipment, material, and people – and uncertainty about future funding levels may leave companies leery of investing in those resources.

“A six-year bill gives you the projected funding level a contractor needs to justify investments,” he explained. “When you realize the least-expensive piece of equipment a highway contractor buys is around $100,000, with some costing more than $1 million, you need a stable outlook for business in order to pay for all of that.”

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr | Editor in Chief

Sean reports and comments on trends affecting the many different strata of the trucking industry -- light and medium duty fleets up through over-the-road truckload, less-than-truckload, and private fleet operations Also be sure to visit Sean's blog Trucks at Work where he offers analysis on a variety of different topics inside the trucking industry.

About the Author

Wendy Leavitt

Wendy Leavitt joined Fleet Owner in 1998 after serving as editor-in-chief of Trucking Technology magazine for four years.

She began her career in the trucking industry at Kenworth Truck Company in Kirkland, WA where she spent 16 years—the first five years as safety and compliance manager in the engineering department and more than a decade as the company’s manager of advertising and public relations. She has also worked as a book editor, guided authors through the self-publishing process and operated her own marketing and public relations business.

Wendy has a Masters Degree in English and Art History from Western Washington University, where, as a graduate student, she also taught writing.  

Sponsored Recommendations

Tackling the Tech Shortage: Lessons in Recruiting Talent and Reducing Turnover

Discover innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining tech talent in the trucking industry at our April 16th webinar, where experts will share insights on competitive pay...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!