Crumbling Infrastructure Needs a Fix
On Tuesday, executives from FedEx Freight and Werner Enterprises told Congress about the trucking industry’s urgent need for greater investment in our highway system.
FedEx Freight President and CEO Mike Ducker and Werner Enterprises President and CEO Derek Leathers both told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, the U.S. must invest more in its roads and bridges so the trucking industry may continue to safely and efficiently move the nation’s goods.
Both FedEx Freight and Werner Enterprises are members of the American Trucking Associations. ATA President and CEO Chris Spear weighed in on the issue. “ATA and its members are continuing to tell our story on Capitol Hill and at the White House about need to improve our nation’s roads and bridges. Our industry currently loses nearly $50 billion annually to congestion – that is unacceptable. We must unclog our arteries and highways and make our infrastructure safer and more efficient by investing in our roads and bridges as Derek and Mike so eloquently told the Committee today,” Spear said.
“Without improved surface infrastructure and wise policy decisions from Washington, FedEx and other companies cannot continue to help grow the U.S. economy and increase jobs. The need for significant investment in our infrastructure has never been more critical,” Ducker said in his testimony.
“Congress should concentrate investment in major freight bottlenecks and congestion that hamper the efficient movement of both freight and passenger travel,” Leathers said in his testimony. “The additional mileage and congestion combined with high freight demands and insufficient truck parking continues to cause needless added stress and frustration to our driver workforce, and can take away from their focus on safely and efficiently delivering our nation’s goods.”
Leathers and Ducker also took the opportunity to raise a number of important issues with the Committee.
“While infrastructure investment is a primary focus for ATA, Mike and Derek did a tremendous job raising a number of significant issues during the hearing,” Spear said. “From driver recruitment to the need for smarter regulations and the prospects for automated trucks, they did a remarkable job telling our story and representing this industry.”
