Graphics: AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
With Republicans poised to hang on to their majority in the House and possibly gain enough seats for a majority in the Senate, will the trucking industry benefit? Maybe, maybe not, says a top official with the American Trucking Associations, who calls the likely direction of a Republican Congress “a mixed bag.”
Regardless, the industry faces a busy year on the regulatory front, explains Dave Osiecki, ATA executive vice president and head of advocacy.
“From the trucking standpoint, if the Republican’s take control of the Senate it’s helpful in one regard, and maybe not all that helpful in another,” Osiecki said, speaking on a conference call Friday hosted by Stifel Capital Markets and transportation analyst John Larkin.
Specifically, a Republican-led Senate will likely take a more cautious approach to federal regulatory issues, “slowing down” the process with more oversight hearings and “tougher questions” for regulators, Osiecki suggested.
“So that’s a potential benefit to the trucking industry to the extent that we think maybe there’s some over-regulation going on,” he said.
“On the flip side,” however, Republicans are reluctant to raise taxes, and ATA strongly supports higher fuel taxes to pay for the maintenance and improvement of the federal highway system.
