Trucking industry associations on Wednesday praised former President Donald Trump’s re-election and the potential to overhaul existing policies.
The American Trucking Associations led with a morning statement noting the incoming Trump administration will have the chance to transform existing tax policy, rewrite the Environmental Protection Agency’s heavy-duty emissions reduction push, and protect trucking careers and businesses.
Trucking groups said Trump’s win bodes well for the potential repeal of a century-old federal excise tax, one of their top concerns. The tax represents a 12% sales tax on new equipment, and past legislative attempts to reform it have come up short.
Similarly, the industry has long fought against the EPA's Phase 3 emissions rule. The rule, which calls for stricter emission limits on model year 2027 trucks and beyond, has faced a series of lawsuits after it was finalized in March.
“President Trump made trucking a priority throughout his first term and partnered with us to enact policies that strengthened the supply chain, grew the economy, and delivered for all Americans,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said. “His second term offers an historic opportunity to build upon that record and show why the best approach to governing is one paved by common sense.”
The Truckload Carriers Association congratulated Trump on his re-election and said it looks forward to advancing truckload priorities with his administration and the next Congress.
The group will be reaching out to Trump following the Republican’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris, which has tax, labor and environmental law implications for trucking, said David Heller, SVP of safety and government affairs at the TCA.
“Regardless of any outcome of the election, we would continually have to work with members of Congress in both the House and Senate, as well as the White House,” Heller said. “There are platforms out there that President Trump brings to the table that he brought to the table before.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association hailed Trump’s upcoming second term on behalf of the 150,000 small business truckers who make up its membership.
"We look forward to working with the Trump Administration and congressional allies to advance a pro-trucker agenda, which includes expanding truck parking, stopping unworkable environmental mandates, and preventing a dangerous speed limiter mandate," OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement.
