More Trucking Money, Better Roads? What Truckers Need to Know

Transportation officials and lawmakers in several states are weighing road funding measures, fuel-tax changes and freight infrastructure projects, while carriers and independent truckers continue to face elevated operating costs.

Fresno County Measure S Would Fund Roads and Transit

Voters in Fresno County are set to decide on Measure S, a proposed sales-tax measure intended to support roads, transit and congestion-related projects.

Approximately two-thirds of the measure’s revenue would be directed to road repairs, while 25% would go toward transit. Supporters say maintaining a dedicated transportation funding stream is important for addressing local infrastructure needs.

Fresno County currently adds a 1.975% sales tax to California’s 6% state sales tax. Opponents argue the proposal does not go far enough to address transportation needs. A key concern among truckers and other motorists is a provision that would prohibit adding lanes for truck and passenger-vehicle traffic.

Ohio Lawmakers Consider 90-Day Fuel-Tax Break

Ohio lawmakers have introduced SB475 and HB1019, which would provide a proposed 90-day suspension of the state’s fuel tax. The temporary break is expected to reduce state revenue by approximately $726 million.

The bills would use money from Ohio’s General Revenue Fund to replace the fuel-tax revenue that would otherwise support transportation programs. The fuel-use tax applies as a secondary tax to trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds, with tax obligations based on the miles traveled in each state.

Freight Projects Target Highway Bottlenecks

Several infrastructure projects are aimed at improving freight movement and supporting economic development.

• A Kansas project would expand capacity along a critical bypass route identified as the state’s top-ranked freight bottleneck. The route is projected to serve approximately 5,000 trucks per day.
• A $28 million project in Lafayette, Louisiana, would convert an existing signalized intersection into a grade-separated interchange. The work would include ramps, flyover bridges and roadway improvements along approximately 2.2 miles of Kaliste Saloom Road.
• The Mississippi Department of Transportation provides competitive grants and loans primarily to state and local road agencies. The programs are intended to maximize economic development and job creation.

Projects connected to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Line and the Ksi Lisims LNG project have also been described as potential benefits for truckers by industry representatives.

Truckers Continue to Face Higher Operating Costs

Independent truckers are dealing with stagnant freight rates, rising expenses and narrow profit margins. Higher diesel prices have increased the cost of long-haul operations, particularly for drivers hauling freight under spot-market arrangements where a separate fuel surcharge may not be included.

A roughly 2,200-mile trip from Fresno to Chicago was cited as costing approximately $1,520 in fuel two years ago, compared with about $2,770 today. A 3,000-mile trip from Fresno to New York reportedly increased from about $2,040 to approximately $3,700.

Fuel costs in those examples rose from roughly 69 cents per mile to about $1.25 per mile. For an owner-operator traveling 100,000 miles annually, that would represent nearly $50,000 in additional yearly fuel expense, assuming similar mileage and fuel-use conditions.

Some independent truckers have turned to crowdfunding to help pay for fuel and maintenance as they work to remain in business.

Federal Officials Address Driver Safety and Qualification

The U.S. Department of Transportation has said it wants to remove unsafe truck drivers from the road. During an enforcement effort known as Operation Saturday Night Fever, 78 drivers were placed out of service.

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer supported changes intended to prevent unqualified drivers from entering the trucking industry. He said loopholes in the existing program had allowed drivers who did not meet requirements to operate on the nation’s highways.