INDEX TO Advertisers
Bell & Company............................................29 Business Financial Group....................48, 49 Chamblee & Ryan.........................................18 Cline Wood.....................................................28 Cummins Southern Plains...........................3 Delco Remy.....................................................42 Direct ChassisLink, Inc...............................22 Drivers Legal Plan.........................................37 Fikes Truck Line............................................30 Great Dane Trailers ......................................17
Great West Casualty Insurance
.............................................Inside Front Cover Hermes Sargent Bates ..................................60 HOLT CAT.......................................................4 Houston Freightliner....................................36 International Trucks/Navistar...................10 Lite-Check.......................................................55 Mack Trucks.............................................14-15
PrePass...............................Inside Back Cover Regions Insurance,
Inc...............Back Cover Southern TireMart ........................................8 Texas TruckingAssociation.......................44 The Steering Wheel ......................... 26, 46, 52 USI Southwest................................................20 W&B Service Company............................6-7 Warriner &Associates.................................39 Wells Fargo.....................................................59
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PRESIDENT'S Message
Welcome to the 84th Texas Legislative Session! Now that all the frills of inaugural balls and parades are done, the oaths of office are behind us and tons of barbecue consumed— Austin is ready to get down to business. We find ourselves on the cusp of Trucking Day at the Capitol once again and we can’t wait to see you!
We have more than communicated our needs as an industry. Texas is certainly not about to overlook the trucks that deliver all the goods Texans require. Quite the contrary.
I thought I might share some wise words from my colleague, friend and former chairman of the board of the Texas Department of Transportation, Deirdre Delisi. The following is taken from the January 14, 2015 edition of the Texas Trib.
…For too long, state policymakers have treated transportation as an afterthought. Now, thanks in
large part to the special sessions in the summer of 2013…transportation is one of the top issues as the session begins… Lawmakers surely took note of voters’ overwhelming support for Proposition 1, which passed in
November by an even larger margin than the water proposition in 2013. With this vote, Texans sent a message — loudly and clearly — that sustaining the status quo when it comes to transportation is unacceptable… Though major provisions —such as which revenue source lawmakers will tap to provide
transportation finding — must still be worked out, there seems to be a consensus forming around a few key principles: 1. End diversions of the state gasoline tax. 2. Fund transportation from within existing revenue sources rather than with additional or increased taxes or fees.
3. Work with the Texas Department of Transportation to develop a more transparent process for project selection. …In 2014, $1.7 billion for transportation funding was transferred to the State Highway Fund, but in
2015, that number is expected to drop significantly. Such fluctuation underscores the need to identify a revenue source for transportation that is predictable, reliable and therefore one that TxDOT can more accurately plan for and budget against. …Even when the Texas economy is firing on all cylinders, revenues from the gas tax don’t keep
pace with economic growth. Raising the gas tax will not solve our problem because of advances in fuel economy, electric cars and increased telecommuting. That’s why dedicating a portion of the motor vehicle sales tax — a tax that grows with the economy — remains such an attractive option. …If done correctly, and with state transportation planners investing in the right projects that will
advance economic development, create jobs and expand tax bases, state coffers will receive a healthy return on an increased investment in transportation.
I recently accepted an invitation to serve with Deirdre and several other champions of trans- portation on the board of Move Texas Forward—a coalition whose mission is to educate Texans about the state’s infrastructure needs and advocate for funding and policies that will support expanded infrastructure. I am humbled in every sense of the word to be on the same dais with these great Texans and I know I will need to work even harder to represent you well.
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