www.ortrucking.org 3 Issue 3 | 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair & ATA State VP Evan Oneto (FedEx) Vice Chair Erik Zander (Omega Morgan) Secretary/Treasurer Bart Sherman (Sherman Bros. Trucking) ATA State VP Nick Card (Blackwell Consolidation) Past Chair Andy Owens (A&M Transport) ISI Rep Diane DeAutremont (Lile Int. Co.) Chair Appointee Ron Riddle (Leavitt’s Freight Service) DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Greg Galbraith (Market Express) Heather Hayes (Tradewinds Trans.) David Hopkins (TP Trucking) Charles Ireland (Ireland Trucking) Jeff Lorenzini (Old Dominion Freight Lines) Regional Representatives Central Oregon Ron Cholin (Stinger Transport) Eastern Oregon Roni Shaw (Bowman Trucking) Metro Region Tim Love (Carson Oil Co.) Southern Oregon Ryan Hutchens (F.V. Martin Trucking) Willamette Valley Dale Latimer (Ram Trucking) COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES Safety Management Council (SMC) Jennifer King (WHA Insurance) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Nicole Hawks-Morse (Kool PAK) Standing Committee Representatives Allied Trevin Fountain (Cummins) Government Affairs John Barnes (TEC Equipment) Highway Policy Kirk Watkins (Walmart) Image Michael Card (Combined Transport) Membership Nick Card (Combined Transport) Oregon TruckPAC Erik Zander (Omega Morgan) OTA in Action Mark Gibson (Siskiyou Transportation) Workforce Billy Dover (Tyree Oil) COMMITTEES Allied Government Affairs Highway Policy Image Membership Oregon TruckPAC OTA in Action Workforce To learn more about the committees or councils listed above, contact OTA at [email protected] or 503.513.0005. 2023/2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OTA Welcomes the Following New Members! All members are listed in our online directory via the member portal. Castrol Lubricants Easier Moving LLC Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. Mike Watters Excavation Nikola Corporation VK Delivery and Storage LLC giant of any metro’s economy. It is time to wake up our fellow truckers. In addition to getting non-members to join, we must also do better at giving time to association activities when needed. As excellent as our staff is at defending our interests, I have learned that there is no substitute for hearing from truckers themselves when advocating on an issue. Likewise, it is imperative that our members participate in our committees to inform staff of issues impacting our industry and provide feedback on ideas and strategies on how to address them. Our staff is sensitive to the busy schedules of our members, so when they call or email asking you to participate in a committee meeting or send out an OTA In Action alert requesting you to contact your legislators about a bill, it is because it is important, and our level of involvement could very well decide the outcome on important decisions that affect us. Opportunities: Due to the hard work of OTA staff and leadership, OTA stands at the precipice of some major potential victories. After many years of advocacy, the I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River recently received an infusion of federal money to help pay for the cost of construction. The bi-state commission in charge of the project is getting closer to settling on a final design with construction slated to begin in 2026. Likewise, seven years after the passage of HB 2017, the historic transportation package, construction has finally begun to improve the I-205 Abernathy Bridge and Oregon recently received environmental review approval from the Federal Highway Administration for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project along with a nearly half billion-dollar federal grant to assist in the construction costs. But due to rising costs, more funds will be needed to complete the project. Which brings us to the need for another transportation package, as ODOT has laid out their dire financial position in recent statewide hearings of the Joint Transportation Committee. It’s no secret that trucking’s support will be key in a future transportation package. And, obviously, as an industry that relies on an efficient and well-maintained highway system, we have a vested interest in seeing ODOT succeed. However, this juncture also brings to light some disparities that need addressing as well as some opportunities for reform. By 2025, Oregon trucks are on schedule to have overpaid nearly $600 million in taxes relative to passenger vehicles. Under Oregon’s State Constitution, light and heavy vehicles are required to pay in “fairness and proportionality” to the costs they impose on the state highway system. Yet, due to the Legislature’s choice to willfully ignore their statutory obligation to address this growing imbalance as reported in the Highway Cost Allocation Studies of the last two biennium, and in spite of OTA’s ongoing pleas to fix it, this disparity has only grown. As a last resort, OTA made the solemn decision to sue the State of Oregon and the Legislature for failure to redress the problem.
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