OTA Dispatch Issue 2 2020

5 www.ortrucking.org Issue 2 | 2020 ADVOCATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS for us to get back to where we were before this pandemic. That is a long haul in anyone’s estimation. On the plus side, almost 80% of trucking companies that qualified applied for federal PPP loans under the CARES Act and 70% of those that applied have received funds at this point. The PPP loans are a lifeline for small to medium- sized fleets and should help to bolster trucking companies as the economic recovery begins. Oregon’s legislature is starting their interim committee process to evaluate what they can do to help bolster Oregon’s economy. It will take everyone working together to climb out of the hole that COVID-19 put us in. As we move from this health crisis to an economic revival, trucking will continue to help carry the load and be a key player in the nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the federal level, FMCSA has announced new hours-of- service rules that should allow for the additional flexibility the industry has been asking for. In light of administrative budget constraints, ODOT announced they are reviewing programs to provide efficiencies that could improve a carrier’s administrative burdens as well. Congress has begun discussions—serious discussions—around an infrastructure package to address the federal Highway Trust Fund. The trucking industry needs to leverage our newly found goodwill with the public to help guide the efforts that will lead to our nation thriving once again. I’ve said this many times before, but I need to say it once again. You make me proud. Thank you for being there when the nation needed you. Thank you for being there when your fellow Oregon citizens needed you. I’ve said it to hundreds of truck drivers as I handed them a boxed lunch—“Thanks for showing up when we needed you most.” What a privilege I have to represent you. Thank you! Thank You, Annual Sponsors! Great West Casualty Company EROAD KPD Insurance LaPorte Insurance Mckinney Trailer Rentals PayneWest SAIF Corporation TEC Equipment WHA Insurance To find out how to become an annual sponsor email info@ortrucking.org.