Transportation

The Transportation Industry is a vast part of Commerce.  It is CRITICAL TO NATIONAL SECURITY it be promoted and maintained.  Our Government is IGNORING THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THIS IMPORTANT INDUSTRY, AND DESTROYING THIS PART OF OUR ECONOMY.

The Interstate Highways are currently supported by Federal and State Highway Use Taxes, Gas Taxes, Tolls, and monies from the General Fund.  There are many issues surrounding the FAILURE OF THE GOVERNMENT TO MAINTAIN THE ROADS.

The Trucking Industry pays the MAJOR SHARE of the funding of the Nation's Highways.  Gas Taxes, Tolls and other financing, including debt, pays the MINOR SHARE of the burden of the Roads.  When you go down a good road, please thank a Trucker for providing it.  When you go down a bad road, blame the Government.  They have ignored it.

In my humble opinion, and for what that is worth, I believe the responsibility of the Roads falls upon the Government to provide.  This is an essential function for National Security.  Good roads provide for fast access and the President Eisenhower envisioned the current Interstate System.

Funded by the Federal Government, the Interstate Highway System should be free and open to the Public and Facilitation of Commerce.  There should be no tolls, nor other incumberances to the free and lawful travel of the Citizens of the United States of America.

Any road, owned publicly or privately, which charges any fees, whatsoever, is not deserving of Interstate Highway Designation nor is it worthy of Federal Financing for maintenance.

The Federal Highway Use Trust Fund has been established to fund the maintenance of our Nation's Highways.  The Owner Operator Independant Driver Association (OOIDA) has reported the Federal Government has routinely diverted a third of the funds collected for the Roads to other projects.  Some have gone into the General Fund and it was not clear where this money went to.  Other monies have gone to benefit mass transit, golf courses, museums and parks.

Under the current Hours of Service Rules, Truck Drivers are limited to 70 hours per week of work.  This work is subdivided into two catagories.  Driving and Working.  Currently, Drivers are well compensated for the miles they drive, but the Companies they work for require them to work for free.

What I propose, is to mandate the Truck Drivers, who are paid "By the Mile" be paid for the work they perform and log on Line 4 of the Driver's Record of Duty Status.  The formula for this value would be the average hourly wage within the last thirty days of all recorded miles of Line 3 of the Driver's Record of Duty Status divided by the Number of Hours recorded upon Line 3 of the Driver's Record of Duty Status.  Multiplying this by the number of Hours worked upon Line 4, and adding this amount to the Driver's Paycheck, or adding the Minimum Wage if less.

Allowing the Companies to charge three times the average hourly wage to the Customer, would go a long way to this practice of Slavery of the Nation's Truck Drivers.  It would also discourage the current waste of time to the Truck Drivers, Companies, and Commerce in General.