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 NASSTRAC Responds to DOT Secretary LaHood Stepping Down

  
 Release Date 1/31/2013     
   
  Contact:
  Contact: Brian Everett, Executive Director
952-442-8850 x201
media@NASSTRAC.org
   
  (Washington, DC) - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said Tuesday that he plans to resign his position, marking the latest departure from President Barack Obama’s cabinet. LaHood said he would stay on the job until a successor is confirmed by the Senate.

The National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council, otherwise known as NASSTRAC, sees this as a critical moment for U.S. transportation. As an association primarily representing shippers, NASSTRAC opposes unwise or excessively burdensome regulation in such areas as workforce and operational requirements, security, and global trade. Mike Regan, chairman of NASSTRAC’s advocacy committee, sees the top issues the new secretary will need to address as infrastructure and the successor to MAP-21, and how we will fund a new infrastructure bill; and regulatory challenges and common sense solutions to issues such as EOBRs, hours of service and CSA.

While NASSTRAC represents freight shippers that rely on safe, efficient and reliable transportation involving all modes, NASSTRAC members rely heavily on the benefits over-the-road truck transportation offers them, said Brian Everett, executive director. “In fact, more than 70 percent of freight shipments, by value and by tons, move by truck,” he said. “The new secretary of transportation needs to support increased investment in the highway infrastructure and show less of a bias toward rail transportation of freight. NASSTRAC consistently has opposed policies that are designed to force freight off trucks and onto trains, while we support the shippers’ choice to use rail or any other mode when appropriate for their supply chains.”

According to Regan, it will be critical that the new secretary of transportation have a comprehensive understanding and support of important freight transportation issues, and focus less on bike trails and walkable neighborhoods, which are primarily local rather than national issues. If the considered candidate has a familiarity with transit, that is not objectionable, so long as it is not the sole background in transportation of the candidate. “It will also be critical that the incoming secretary of transportation be able to effectively work with a Republican House,” said Regan. If Obama nominates a successor shortly, it is speculated that a successor will be confirmed by the Senate with a few months.

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  The National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) provides education, advocacy, provider relations, and networking for professionals involved in all modes of transportation, ranging from full truckload and LTL to air, expedited, containerization and global logistics. For more information, visit www.NASSTRAC.org.