‘On your left’

I’m a huge Avengers fan and frequently catch myself going back to rewatch various movies. I recently watched “Infinity War” and “Endgame” again.

Every single time it gets to the final battle in “Endgame,” it hits pretty hard. Captain America is beat all to hell. His shield is broken. Thanos and his army are advancing, and it really looks like Captain America is outmatched.

That’s until Sam Wilson, as Falcon, radios Captain America and tells him, “On your left.” Black Panther and Falcon emerge from one of Dr. Strange’s portals behind Captain’s left shoulder.

The massive Avenger army materializes thanks to more Dr. Strange portals. Captain America realizes he’s not alone in the war. The rest is Marvel Universe history.

Feeling defeated is pretty common these days. Freight rates are still sub-par at best. The term “recession” is still being tossed around. Driver pay is low, and so is morale.

It’s tough out there and may even feel like the deck is stacked against you. A lot of you probably feel alone.

Connecting with our OOIDA members and Land Line readers is the high point of the Mid-America Trucking Show. It’s important to talk about all of the things that you worry about when you’re alone out there on the road. We want to assure you that OOIDA is right there with you.

The Association has taken some pretty big swings early in 2025 – and over the past couple of years, really. OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh has been on the move. A lot. He’s testified before Congress twice already this year. He headed to the Missouri state capitol to testify on towing reforms. And that’s just a slice of the amount of travel he’s logged to make sure that truckers are well represented.

You can catch up on his latest congressional testimony starting on Page 14.

That hearing was a big one. It’s setting the stage for work to begin on the next highway bill. That’s the mega piece of legislation that other bills tend to get rolled into.

OOIDA’s Government Affairs team has had it in sight for some time and has been aiming to get lawmakers to support overtime pay for truck drivers, to sponsor legislation to guarantee restroom access, to introduce legislation for more truck parking (Page 26 for more on that), etc., etc. Things will quickly heat up on those fronts and on many others that OOIDA has been teeing up over the past couple of years.

The Association is also pressing the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to reinstate noncompliance with the English proficiency regulation as an out-of-service offense. There’s a lot to this issue and its inevitable effect on safety. Read about it starting on Page 22.

We also have news about broker transparency. Page 40 brings you a pair of articles that dive into what FMCSA can do to fix the problem and how one lone trucker is taking on TQL in court. Shady brokers have taken a weak freight economy and pillaged it until there’s just not much left for truckers. Those days must be numbered.

Predatory lease-purchases are under attack as well. OOIDA sat on the Truck Leasing Task Force to represent those of you who have either nearly lost everything or actually did lose everything to these schemes. We have an update on the task force on Page 48.

So many of those topics, and many more, came up in conversations at MATS. It was a prime opportunity to show you that you’re not alone. We see you and hear you. While you may feel battle weary, OOIDA is a lot like Falcon and the rest of the Avengers.

We’re always here for you. One of the signs that we had at MATS put it perfectly for when you’re just needing to talk and get some reassurance that we’re also in this: The After-MATS Connection. We’re just a phone call or an email away to remind you that we’re in the fight with you. LL