Source: Land Line post
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – With Roadcheck, the annual truck inspection blitz scheduled for May 5-7, truckers, led by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), and brokers are calling for its postponement during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) and the OOIDA teamed up and sent a letter to Collin Mooney, executive director of Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, calling for the inspection blitz to be postponed.
OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh joined TIA Vice President of Government Affairs Chris Burroughs calling on the postponement, pointing to the critical services truckers are providing during the pandemic.
“As you know, trucking companies and drivers are working overtime right now to ensure that food, medical supplies and other emergency products needed to combat the COVID-19 crisis get to their end destination as efficiently and safely as possible,” the pair wrote. “The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recognized this and relaxed the hours-of-service requirements. We need these drivers to continue to operate on our nation’s highways without the threat of being stopped during the mandatory road check.”
OOIDA represents 160,000 owner-operators and professional drivers. Small trucking businesses like those we represent account for 96 percent of registered motor carriers in the U.S., and many continue to operate during the current pandemic, the letter points out.
“Our members are the safest and most diverse operators on our nation’s roads. Their activities impact all sectors of the American economy on a daily basis, especially during a national emergency. They are currently moving many of the supplies that keep our hospitals prepared, manufacturers supplied, and grocery stores stocked,” the letter states.
TIA’s membership is also 70 percent small, family-owned businesses.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further and hopefully find a better option to improve this program and increase safety without crippling motor carriers during our time of need, a goal shared by everyone,” the letter states.
