Dennis Dellinger, Chairman of the American Trucking Associations and CEO of Cargo Transporters, recently appeared on Capitol Hill to advocate for significantly boosting investments in the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
Speaking to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highway and Transit, Dellinger emphasized the critical need to address expensive traffic congestion, optimize supply chain operations, and enhance safety on the roads.
“We look forward to working with everyone on this subcommittee as you develop an infrastructure package that promotes safety for the motoring public and our [truck] drivers, while prompting the creation of efficiencies as we move our nation’s economy,” Dellinger said. “Roads and bridges aren’t affiliated to a given party; they are an American priority.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in 2021, delivered unprecedented funding for transportation projects. However, Dellinger noted that the recent surge in inflation has diminished the impact of these investments.
“To ensure the U.S. maintains its dominance leading all world economies, Congress must improve upon the law and take bold steps to increase investments in our industry’s workplace.”
In his testimony, Dellinger cautioned Congress about the risks of failing to act. He highlighted data from the American Transportation Research Institute, which estimates that congestion costs the economy $108.8 billion annually. Dellinger detailed how these delays create ripple effects throughout the supply chain.
“Highway bottlenecks add over $100 billion to the cost of freight transportation annually. That’s the equivalent of 435,000 drivers sitting idle for a year.” Dellinger said. “It’s imperative we expand capacity and eliminate inefficiency to boost US manufacturing, grow public and private businesses, and lower costs for the consumer.”
Making the connection between new investments and increased safety, Dellinger said motor carriers spend $14 billion annually on safety related systems and training. He called on Congress to be a part of the solution by “increasing truck parking that would alleviate the dangerous situation of truckers being forced to park in unauthorized locations, [and] ensuring that effective and robust drug testing protocols remain intact.”
