Get in the game

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association began its mission of fighting for the rights of truck drivers in 1973. Since that time, hundreds of other trucking-related groups have formed and disbanded.

One of the reasons OOIDA has prospered throughout that time is because the Association has been willing to take up the issues that affect truck drivers’ lives. OOIDA’s persistence and willingness to get involved is why the Association continues to remain relevant 50 years later.

“We learned long, long ago that if you’re not going to participate in the game, then you’re probably not going to like the outcome,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “For 50 years now, we’ve made it a priority to participate in all areas where it can impact our members and drivers across the country. We will endeavor to do better and better at it the longer we do it, because it’s important.”

Spencer’s remarks came at the OOIDA Fall Board of Directors meeting, which was held in conjunction with the Guilty By Association Truck Show in Joplin, Mo., as a celebration of OOIDA’s 50th anniversary.

Although the board members were in Joplin to relish the accomplishment of marking a half-century, little time was spent dwelling on past accomplishments. Instead, Spencer focused on what OOIDA needs to do in order to be successful for another 50 years.

That starts with getting more truck drivers to work together for a common cause.

“We need people among our ranks

who are willing to take a stand on the side of what’s right,” Spencer said. “Our challenge going forward for each of us is to try to find some folks who believe in the cause, believe in the organization and believe in standing up for what’s right.”

Many of those efforts involve leveling the playing field for truck drivers and making it a more desirable profession.

As OOIDA moves into its next 50 years, the Association is equipped with a team of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., working at every level to make those things happen.

Truck parking

One of the quickest ways to improve the profession and increase safety is by tackling the long-established lack of truck parking across the nation.

OOIDA has spent decades informing lawmakers and other decision-makers about the problem.

In many ways, that message is beginning to resonate.

The OOIDA-led Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act is gaining momentum in the House and Senate. The bill would provide $755 million over three years for truck parking projects focused on expanding capacity.

As of press time, Rep. Mike Bost’s House bill was up to 37 co-sponsors, and Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ Senate version had 11. While OOIDA continues to work to get the bill across the finish line, federal officials also have heard the message.

In September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced more than $80 million in grant awards, including funding for truck parking.

The funding aims to reduce the frequency and severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes on the nation’s roadways and will support truck drivers by expanding access to truck parking; investing in critical technology; improving safety in work zones, rural areas and high crash corridors; and more.

The Federal Highway Administration also unveiled 200 new truck parking spaces along Interstate 80 in Laramie, Wyo., this past September.

FHWA is expected to host a truck parking coalition meeting this winter, which will provide OOIDA another opportunity to highlight the problem.

The issue of truck parking is another example of the need for persistence. Fixing the problem hasn’t been an overnight solution, but real progress is in sight.

“A lot of people don’t understand, but it’s not a sprint,” said Matthew Bradley, OOIDA board alternate. “It’s a marathon.”

Restroom access

In addition to helping ensure that truck drivers have a safe place to park their trucks and sleep, OOIDA also has been working to make sure truckers aren’t denied access to a restroom.

OOIDA worked with Reps. Troy Nehls and Chrissy Houlahan to introduce the bipartisan Trucker Bathroom Access Act, which would ensure that truck drivers have a place to use the restroom when they are waiting to deliver or pick up freight.

The bill does not require businesses to construct new restrooms. Instead, it would mandate only that truck drivers be granted access if a business has a restroom available to its customers or employees.

In May, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh told lawmakers at a House hearing that it’s sad legislation is even needed to provide truckers this basic right.

“I never thought we’d be sitting here in the House of the Congress of the greatest nation in the world talking about giving people the right to use the restroom when they’re trying to do their job,” Pugh said. “But, unfortunately, I guess that’s the way we’ve gotten in society.”

Valuing drivers

Another way to improve the profession is by making it more lucrative.

OOIDA is committed to working toward efforts that place value on a driver’s time, as well as the skill it requires to consistently complete the job safely.

The Association has lobbied for introduction of the GOT Truckers Act, which would repeal the motor carrier overtime exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The bill, which simply would amend the FLSA to remove the exemption, aims to ensure that truck drivers are fairly compensated for all of the hours they work.

OOIDA, which advocated for the bill, said the original design of the exemption passed in the 1930s was to prevent truckers from working too many hours. The reality, the Association says, is that the “outdated law” prevents truckers from receiving fair compensation.

More value needs to be placed on a driver’s time, as well as a driver’s skill. This is one of the reasons OOIDA also fought for the creation of an entry-level driver training rule.

“The way we can help put more money in a trucker’s pocket is by creating value in an occupation,” Spencer said. “Some of the things that do that are things like driver training, where investments have to be made on the part of a company to attract people to come work for them. Better-trained people are going to command more money. We work within the system to increase the value of every driver that’s out there.” LL