“I’m a farmer and a small-business owner,” Finstad said. “I’ve seen firsthand and heard numerous stories of the negative effects of government overreach when it comes to overly protected regulations and the rulemaking process.”

The primary objective of this legislation is to shield small businesses from government overreach and excessive regulation by compelling federal agencies to assess the impact of their regulatory actions on small enterprises.

“What does the rule say? How do we comply with this rule? How do we meet this regulation? What we’ve found is that it’s costing Americans billions of dollars each year,” Finstad said. “Since 2009, it’s estimated that it’s over $730 billion and over 480 million hours in paperwork time added to our small businesses.”

While the Prove It Act has broad implications for various industries, its resonance is particularly strong among small-business truckers, constituting 96% of motor carriers in the United States.

“The owner-operator or farmer or small independent business owner who is the most adversely affected in this regulatory climate,” Finstad said. “Because they don’t have the HR department. They don’t have the regulatory department. They don’t have the lawyers. They don’t have the staff to help them navigate the rules and regulations.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) lends its support to the Prove It Act, recognizing the overwhelming regulatory burden faced by small-business truckers.

“It’s always changing,” said Finstad, who holds a commercial driver’s license. “Just when you think you’ve caught up to the new climate of the new regulations and rules to comply with, there’s another harebrained idea coming at us tomorrow. It’s just so hard to keep up, especially if you’re that small independent.”

A notable example of regulatory excess, as highlighted by Finstad, is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) proposal to mandate speed limiters on most commercial motor vehicles.

“This is another harebrained idea that comes from folks who have never been in a semi,” he said. “To restrict speed and to have government intrusion right into our business office creates an unsafe environment.”

To counter this, Finstad has joined as a co-sponsor of the DRIVE Act, a legislative measure aimed at preventing the FMCSA from advancing any rulemaking that mandates speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks.

Despite the vocal opposition from thousands of truck drivers against mandatory speed limiters, FMCSA is expected to unveil a formal proposal in May. It’s important to note that Congress has not enacted any law requiring speed limiters, and the agency is attempting to push through this regulation independently.

“I’m one of the few members in Congress who has a Class A CDL, so it brings a little street cred to that conversation,” Finstad said. “When the bureaucrats tell me how things should or shouldn’t work, I can ask them if they’ve been behind the wheel. ‘Have you ever had to drive a truck with a 53-foot trailer? Have you ever had to haul a thousand bushels of corn to market?’ If the answer is no, you better start talking to the people who do it.”

With the recent addition of Representative David Rouzer, R-N.C., as a co-sponsor on Feb. 28, the House version of the DRIVE Act now boasts 37 co-sponsors. OOIDA actively encourages its approximately 150,000 members to advocate for the DRIVE Act by reaching out to their lawmakers. Truck drivers can conveniently contact their representatives through OOIDA’s Fighting For Truckers website.

Source: Land Line

The post U.S. Congressman Campaigns for Small Trucking Businesses, Says More Regulations Hurts Them appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of co-sponsors for the bill has now reached 30, with recent endorsements from Representatives Zachary Nunn of Iowa, Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, and Doug LaMalfa of California.

The DRIVE Act, or HR3039, seeks to prohibit the FMCSA from issuing any rules or regulations that mandate the installation of speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a representative and advocate for small businesses in the industry, stands firmly behind the DRIVE Act. They are urging its more than 150,000 members to mobilize their lawmakers to join as co-sponsors. OOIDA argues that speed limiters can create dangerous speed disparities and holds firm that setting speed limits should be up to the digression of individual states.

“The physics are straightforward – limiting trucks to speeds below the flow of traffic increases interactions between vehicles and leads to more crashes,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president.

In 2022, FMCSA initiated an advance notice of supplemental proposed rulemaking that suggested the possibility that speed limiters be installed on any commercial motor vehicle with a gross weight of 26,001 pounds or more. The specific top speed had not been determined, although earlier suggestions ranged from 60 to 68 mph. In September 2023, FMCSA hinted at proposing a top speed of 68 mph; however, it later stated that a final decision was still pending.

Whatever the ultimate speed limit, many truck drivers have voiced strong opposition to any mandate regarding speed limiters. Of the over 15,000 comments submitted, many were from truckers who objected to the idea. They raised concerns about the risks associated with varying speeds, mainly when speed limits in certain parts of the country reach as high as 85 mph.

“I oppose the speed limiter mandate,” said Thad Thurlow, a professional truck driver who responded in a comment to FMCSA. “Speed differentials create unsafe conditions. Some states have already come to that conclusion and abolished their speed differentials. Limiting all trucks to the same speed will create more congestion as trucks pass each other and cars have to move around them. Congestion leads to more frustration and drivers making riskier decisions to get through traffic.”

Representative Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma formally introduced the DRIVE Act in the House on May 25. In a May interview with Land Line Now, Brecheen pointed out the potential extreme speed differentials that could arise from speed limiters, describing the potential mandate as an impending accident.

“You have states with 85 mph speed limits, and then you have someone texting and driving and not paying attention and then rear ends (the truck),” Brecheen said. “Let’s say that tractor-trailer has an excavator on the back … there’s no opportunity (to correct) going 30 mph less when that person gets rear-ended … That’s the kind of stuff we’re talking about here – a 30 mph difference, because one is limited by federal law and the other is traveling 30 mph faster because of state law.”

 Source: Land Line

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