Truckers glad no tolling I-80 in Pennsylvania
(Grain Valley, Mo., April. 6, 2010) – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is relieved that the Department of Transportation has rejected Pennsylvania’s plan to toll Interstate 80.
“It shows that accountability and the responsible use of taxpayer resources wins the day and that diversion of those hard-earned dollars for unrelated uses is unacceptable,” said OOIDA’s Director of Legislative Affairs Mike Joyce.
OOIDA, which represents about 156,000 small-business truckers, has protested the proposal since it was first introduced because it is essentially double taxation, is unsafe for other roads, and is not in the best interests of all highway users or businesses in Pennsylvania.
The Association believes that, if passed, such a contract would have locked the citizens of Pennsylvania into a contract that would negatively affect their children and grandchildren while the state’s highway funding has disgracefully been squandered away on non-highway projects. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are the organizations that attempted to toll I-80.
“As we have been saying for more than two years, the Pennsylvania legislation known as Act 44 was flawed from the beginning, forcing PennDOT and the Turnpike to apply not just once, not just twice, but three times. Hopefully, they recognize they’ve struck out and should take a seat on the bench,” added Joyce.
The Association is thankful to its members for staying involved with this issue and making their concerns known to their representatives in state and federal government.
Thanks also go out to Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and his predecessor Congressman John Peterson for leading the charge against tolling, as well as Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3rd District), Congressmen Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) and Chris Carney (D-PA) and also state representatives Mario Scavello (R-Monroe County), Scott Hutchinson (R-Franklin) and Michele Brooks (R-Greenville).
OOIDA will continue to work as part of a coalition called the “Americans for a Strong National Highway Network,” which includes other organizations opposed to tolling public highways.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 156,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.
“It shows that accountability and the responsible use of taxpayer resources wins the day and that diversion of those hard-earned dollars for unrelated uses is unacceptable,” said OOIDA’s Director of Legislative Affairs Mike Joyce.
OOIDA, which represents about 156,000 small-business truckers, has protested the proposal since it was first introduced because it is essentially double taxation, is unsafe for other roads, and is not in the best interests of all highway users or businesses in Pennsylvania.
The Association believes that, if passed, such a contract would have locked the citizens of Pennsylvania into a contract that would negatively affect their children and grandchildren while the state’s highway funding has disgracefully been squandered away on non-highway projects. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are the organizations that attempted to toll I-80.
“As we have been saying for more than two years, the Pennsylvania legislation known as Act 44 was flawed from the beginning, forcing PennDOT and the Turnpike to apply not just once, not just twice, but three times. Hopefully, they recognize they’ve struck out and should take a seat on the bench,” added Joyce.
The Association is thankful to its members for staying involved with this issue and making their concerns known to their representatives in state and federal government.
Thanks also go out to Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and his predecessor Congressman John Peterson for leading the charge against tolling, as well as Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3rd District), Congressmen Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) and Chris Carney (D-PA) and also state representatives Mario Scavello (R-Monroe County), Scott Hutchinson (R-Franklin) and Michele Brooks (R-Greenville).
OOIDA will continue to work as part of a coalition called the “Americans for a Strong National Highway Network,” which includes other organizations opposed to tolling public highways.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 156,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.