Tag Archive for ‘government’

Removing Roadblocks to Improved Transportation Productivity

This Op-ed by James H. Burnley, chairman, CleanerSaferTrucking, Inc. originally appeared in The Hill’s Congress Blog. As America struggles to reignite its flagging economy, a policy debate is raging in Washington, D.C. about how to increase our productivity, create jobs in our economy, and enhance our ability to compete globally. At the forefront of this debate [...]

Obama’s Infrastructure Investment Proposal – Good Vision, But Where’s the Money?

Since President Obama introduced his new — and massive — infrastructure investment proposal last month, the initiative has been making headlines nationwide. Though we welcome his attention to the issue, it’s difficult not to wonder: Why now and why wasn’t this more of a priority in the stimulus package? Though there are many strong opinions [...]

Finding the Path to Lower Carbon Emissions, Higher Fuel Efficiency through the Rose Garden

Over the course of history, the White House Rose Garden has been the venue for many Presidential decisions which heralded a new direction for our country. Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to participate in one such event that, hopefully, we can look back on years from now and recall as the beginning of [...]

Note to Congress: Rein in Destructive Commodity Derivatives Trading

Last Wednesday, I spoke on behalf of American Trucking Associations (ATA) at a press conference sponsored by the Derivatives Reform Alliance. This organization is advocating for tougher regulation of commodity derivatives trading, which includes crude oil and refined products like diesel fuel. If that sounds like some arcane financial manipulation practice, you’re right. But it [...]

Trucks and Rails: A New Era of Cooperation?

The message from BNSF Railway Group Vice President Stephen Branscum was strikingly positive. In a recent letter to Transport Topics magazine, he cited as accurate “BNSF’s willingness to work with shippers and American Trucking Associations to develop progressive changes to TS&W (truck size and weight) rules for the betterment of our nation’s transportation system . [...]