‘Live From Exit 24’ to discuss proposed parking legislation, highway bill

OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh and OOIDA Director of Legislative Affairs Bryce Mongeon are scheduled to join host Mike Matousek, manager of government affairs at OOIDA, to talk about proposed parking legislation and the next highway bill on the April 7 “Live From Exit 24” show.

Every other Wednesday, “Live From Exit 24,” OOIDA’s live, hourlong internet talk show, brings listeners insightful discussions on the regulatory and legislative issues that matter to truckers.

To be a part of the upcoming episode, call 317-67-OOIDA (317-676-6432) at 11 a.m. Central time on April 7.

Listeners can tune in to the show on the “Live From Exit 24” website, OOIDA Facebook page or on OOIDA’s YouTube channel.

Past episodes of “Live From Exit 24” are archived on the show’s website.

During the March 24 “Live From Exit 24,” the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, opposed by OOIDA, was thoroughly discussed.

Pugh, Mongeon and Greg Reed, from the Cullen Law Firm, offered their expertise on this complex legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.

“It gets complicated depending on specific situations,” Mongeon said. “The big message is that this is just far too broad to account for all the complexities. It seems unlikely that it would become law at this point, but we are still taking this very seriously and educating members.”

Callers weighed in throughout the hourlong show, inquiring about tax issues, effective dates, potential fines, exceptions, state versus federal law, misclassification, workers’ compensation, and more.

“Trucking is a diverse business and one size does not fit all,” Pugh said. “Somewhere in trucking we got to the point where you never really made it until you got your own authority. You can’t say one model is better than another, but one of the fears I have is what’s going to happen when we make everybody become a motor carrier?”

The AB5 law in California, which can affect drivers even if they’re not based there, quickly became part of the discussion.

“The PRO Act creates a very rigid standard to determine an employer or an independent contractor,” Reed said. “This is some of the most sweeping reform since the 1930s. Maybe there is some hope that the owner-operator gets their own authority, but it’s a demanding standard and might be an elusive promise.”

 Show survey

“Live From Exit 24” launched last year as a way to expand OOIDA’s communication with members and to hear directly from drivers across the industry.

OOIDA is asking for truck drivers to fill out a survey to let the Association know how you are liking the show so far. The survey can be found here. LL