The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) recently announced its support of President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation.
In a letter sent to members of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and signed by OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer, the association expressed its “strong support” of Duffy, citing his “previous support for small-business truckers indicates to us that he will bring the right perspective to the role and work to ensure that DOT’s actions reflect the priorities of America’s professional drivers.”
The association’s letter also said that while Duffy was a Republican congressman from Wisconsin, he signed a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expressing his support for an OOIDA petition that would have provided relief to small-business truckers from the mandated use of electronic logging devices..OOIDA’s letter said this was a “common-sense petition that would have addressed the most burdensome regulation ever issued for the trucking industry.”
The association said Duffy “recognized that regulations should not be one-size-fits-all, and more importantly, that Congress and federal regulators should provide relief to small businesses when regulations have significant costs with little to no benefits.” The association said it believed “this is the appropriate regulatory approach for the Secretary and DOT. “
The letter also said, “If confirmed, we believe that Mr. Duffy would guide the Department in reviewing overreaching regulations that do nothing to improve safety and make it more difficult for small-business truckers to thrive. Since his nomination, Mr. Duffy’s team has reached out to us to better understand the needs of small-business truckers and professional drivers. On too many issues, our members’ viewpoint is disregarded in favor of larger carriers seeking to maximize their bottom line or ‘safety advocates’ with little experience in driving truck.”
The letter concluded, “we believe that Mr. Duffy is well-suited to serve as DOT Secretary and ask that you vote to advance his nomination.”
Duffy served in the House of Representatives for eight years and most recently was a co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business, as well as a contributor on Fox News.
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