The Agriculture Transportation Working Group, a coalition of greater than 80 agriculture and meals advocacy teams, is urging Congress to cross the SHIP IT Act. The group penned an open letter to leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Expertise, Senate Committee on Setting & Public Works, and Home Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure advocating for the invoice.
Based on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, vans account for greater than 60% of all home freight by weight. The ATWG calls them the “linchpin” of the transportation sector, noting most freight touches a truck no less than as soon as.
“We consider by supporting SHIP IT, Congress can obtain constructive advantages for the surroundings whereas bettering the financial competitiveness of the USA,” the ATWG letter states.
SHIP IT is brief for the Safer Highways and Elevated Efficiency for Interstate Trucking Act. It was launched by Reps. Dusty Johnson, R- S.D., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., in January.
The invoice goals to enhance the availability chain by providing tax credit to new and skilled drivers. It will broaden entry to business driver’s license assessments and canopy some driver coaching prices with Workforce Innovation and Alternative grants.
If handed, the invoice would additionally permit states to opt-in to a pilot program allowing six-axle vans that weigh as much as 91,000 kilos. Hours of service laws could be modified to offer flexibility for seasonal demand variances within the agriculture business.
“People skilled a slew of freight disruptions throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rep. Johnson mentioned when he introduced the invoice. “Final yr we addressed ocean delivery reform, and it’s clear that updates are wanted for different elements of the availability chain. The SHIP IT Act will bridge gaps, maintain prices down for customers, and make it simpler for shippers to maneuver merchandise throughout the U.S.”
