Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a trucking advocate, dies at age 65

A congressman who helped form the first Trucking Caucus and has been a longtime member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has died at age 65.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 6.

LaMalfa, a fourth-generation farmer, began his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 and joined the House T&I Committee in 2017.

Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., who serves as the chair of the committee, offered condolences to the LaMalfa family.

“I am deeply saddened to learn that my friend Congressman Doug LaMalfa has passed away,” Graves said. “Doug was a valued and thoughtful member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for nearly a decade and a fellow farmer who always strongly championed conservative values and the rights of rural Americans. He was a respected colleague who will be missed in the House of Representatives. My thoughts and prayers are with his fellow Californians, his friends and his family, especially his wife Jill and their children.”

During his time on the T&I Committee, LaMalfa made repeated attempts to eliminate the federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks and trailers.

He advocated for hours-of-service flexibility, truck parking funding and a bill that would prevent the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from mandating speed limiters on heavy trucks. LaMalfa also fought against attempts to increase truckers’ minimum liability insurance.

This past December, LaMalfa joined Reps. David Taylor, Shomari Figures, Harriet Hageman, Pat Harrigan and Mary Miller to form Congress’ first Trucking Caucus.

“I’m pleased to join the Congressional Trucking Caucus and focus on the difficult real-world issues truckers deal with constantly,” LaMalfa said in December. “In rural areas especially, trucking isn’t optional. It’s how goods get to shelves, raw materials get to farms and farms get their products to market. If you got it, a truck brought it. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make sure truckers can keep moving.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association mourned the loss of a trucking advocate.

“Rep. LaMalfa understood truckers and valued their work,” said Collin Long, OOIDA’s director of government affairs. “He used his seat in Congress to help make their lives safer and careers more successful. His loss is particularly painful because he truly was a friend to OOIDA and our members. That’s not hyperbole. He was a sincere and dependable friend to truckers, and we’re really going to miss him.” LL