[090314.EN.LOG] Truckers Blast Obama Budget For Favouring Rail Freight Over Trucking

THE American Trucking Associations (ATA) has slammed the budget of the Obama administration for favouring rail freight over trucking.

"By mid-January, this industry moved as much freight as the railroads will move all year," said ATA president Bill Graves. 
"While freight railroads and intermodal rail play small, but important roles in goods movement, the lifeblood of our economy is and will continue to be the trucking industry," said ATA president Bill Graves.

Rail freight moved 14.7 per cent of all domestic shipments far less than the 68.5 per cent moved by trucks, Mr Graves said.

"This budget proposes to re-direct funds from road and bridge projects that would improve capacity and ease bottlenecks to underwrite projects for an industry that continually crows about how self-sufficient it is," said Mr Graves.

"It is difficult to understand this administration's insistence on continuing to pour billions of dollars into an intercity passenger rail system that carries just one-tenth of one per cent of passenger miles, while failing to provide the resources to improve the safety and efficiency of the highway system, which handles 87 per cent of passenger travel," he said.

"Today's budget misses the mark when it comes to the transportation needs of the US economy. It provides no real funding solutions for the long-term health of our infrastructure and proposes massive new subsidies for a mode that moves a small proportion of America's freight and passengers."

Said ATA chairman Phil Byrd: "Finding a long term, sustainable way to improve our nation's roads and bridges is one of ATA's top priorities. The fuel tax is, and will continue to be the most efficient and fair way of collecting revenue for highways and bridges."

Mr Byrd, also president of Bulldog Hiway Express, said: "Using the proceeds from corporate tax reform, while creative, does little to address the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund or to uphold the principle of users paying for the services they get."

Source : HKSG.