PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE


GOOD MORNING FROM LINCOLN!


As I write this edition’s message to our members, we’re waiting for yet another wintery blast to enter our normally balmy southern states. Unusual winter weather across our country has kind of become the norm. We in the trucking industry don’t expect to find snow in Dallas and Atlanta in February, anymore than being able to be on the golf courses of Nebraska in January, yet it is occurring on a fairly regular basis.


On the political scene, just as unusual is the cry from every corner of the trucking industry to our elected officials to “please” raise the “users fees” (aka, motor fuel taxes) that every motorist pays at the pump in order to have safe and efficient roads. As we all know, this has not always been the case. It’s pretty safe and easy to “just say no” when the topic of increases in the fuel taxes came along. However to our industry’s credit, we have worked with our elected officials and Departments of Transportation or in our case Roads, to do everything possible to make sure that our Highway Trust Funds were protected and used in the best possible way to spend them efficiently. Our successful system in Nebraska has been based on a “trust” that our Department of Roads, Governor and the Legislature developed with our industry that they would create a long term plan to prioritize when and where we would use these resources based on sound science, statistics and engineering practices to maintain the safety and efficiency of “our” roads. As a result, this high level of trust that our industry maintains with these decision makers has served us well. According to several recent studies ,we have only 6% of our roads that are deemed inefficient or unsafe and our Department of Roads was recognized as one of the most efficient of all 50 states. We have a comfort level that our road funds are not being allocated as political favors in the form of building roads to nowhere and that projects are based on actual statistically sound engineering NEEDS not WANTS of special interest groups unlike many other states that are currently ranked at the TOP of the studies indicating unsafe or inefficient roads in their states.


On one hand, we are very fortunate to have a system that works. As a state, we have resisted the


temptation to borrow from our trust fund for other budget items and then bond or borrow to meet our road needs. Right now, if it weren’t for more fuel efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles (these are great things and something our industry has invested heavily in) and the lack of political will of the general motoring public to raise our user fee’s to reflect not only the high need for updating our infrastructure to accommodate higher traffic counts due to a thriving economy in our state – we might be sitting pretty good. Unfortunately, as our roads, bridges age and our spring potholes get bigger and deeper, it is pretty predictable that without some help, this will not always be the case.


Without a doubt, everyone in the trucking industry likes safe and efficient roads. We want to pay our “fair share” and know that accidents and inefficiencies cost us far more than paying a few extra pennies per gallon.


It is with all of this in mind that I’m hoping each one of our members, will take a moment to review a bill introduced by Senator Jim Smith our current Transportation Committee Chair that will allow all of us that use Nebraska’s roads to do the “right” thing and pay just a few pennies more per gallon to keep them safe and efficient. Please take a look at LB610, watch the debate and help by showing your support by asking for your Senator’s and the Governor’s support of this important measure. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with any questions or concerns. Until next our next edition…


Larry Johnson President


Nebraska Trucking ljohnson@nebtrucking.com 4 NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 1, 2015 — www.nebtrucking.com


Nebraska Trucking Executive Committee


CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD CHRIS KLOTZ SBT, Inc.


Chief Carriers, Inc. VICE-CHAIR


CHAIR-ELECT BOB CLARK


Distribution, Inc. TREASURER


BOB WINTER


Flatbed Express SECRETARY


MARY DAVIE


Romans Motor Freight AT-LARGE OFFICER


SCOTT ROMANS


CRYSTAL ANDERSON Pitney Bowes Presort


Greater Omaha Express LLC


AT-LARGE OFFICER BRENT FALGIONE


STATE VICE PRESIDENT TO ATA ERICH HELGE


Seward Motor Freight


ALTERNATE STATE VICE PRESIDENT TO ATA MIKE HERRE


Fremont Contract Carriers BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Duane Acklie Don Adams Dean Aden


Steven Aherns George Akerson


Crystal Anderson Tim Aschoff Blaine Batten


Dennis Bauder David Billings


Joanie M. Bogers Kurt Brown


Butch Brown Terry Chvatal Bob Clark


Tom Coffey Mary Davie Eldon Dokter Rafael Dorador


Dwight Dunsworth Dave Erlandson Brent Falgione Ross Faubel Corby Flagle


Hugh Fugleberg Mike Galvin


Norman Geiken Rick Gomel


Dick Hauptman Erich Helge


Michael Herre Albert Hill


Alan Hingst


Duane Hobscheidt Pam Hook Dan Hurt


B.Vincent James


Kimberly Johnson Don Kaiser Jim Kerr


Larry Kersten


Jerry Kilthau Chris Klotz


Tom Koenigs


Jean Kurtenbach Dennis Leslie Heidi Loop


Dean Lynch Ron Mencl Trey Mytty Ron Nolte Scott Olson


Tonn Ostergard Dave Parker Jack Peetz


Dean Petersen Eric Pierson Dick Pierson Tom Pirnie


Gene Quandt Dick Reiser


Greg Reitmeier Scott Romans


Ronald Romans John Sahling


Robert Sahling Roger Schmidt


Terry Schnauber Alan Schulz Jack Shultz


Russell Stough


Daniel Tompkins Jason Turner


Kevin vonRentzell Nick Vuko


Dave Walde


Clarence Werner Jerry Wessel Robert Winter Brian Wood


Robert Wynne Rallen R Zeitner


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