Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced its “Pro-Trucker” package, a set of initiatives designed to enhance conditions for professional drivers. Now, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is urging Congress to expand on that progress with a new highway bill that places truckers’ needs at the center.
The current surface transportation authorization bill, more commonly referred to as the highway bill, is set to expire on September 30, 2026. Although that deadline is still more than a year away, the legislative groundwork is already underway. In July, the DOT invited the public to weigh in, and on August 29, OOIDA submitted a detailed 14-page response.
In its comments, signed by OOIDA President Todd Spencer, the Association praised recent steps by the DOT but stressed the importance of Congress following through.
“OOIDA applauds the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recent actions improving working conditions for professional truckers and enhancing highway safety in a commonsense, cost-effective manner,” Spencer wrote. “Truckers now need lawmakers to embrace the new approach taken by the White House with as much energy and resolve. We believe this can be done in a bipartisan manner that promotes highway safety, improves driver recruitment and retention, and increases supply chain efficiency. Congress can make the next highway bill the most pro-trucker in history, but only if lawmakers commit to prioritizing their needs.”
What Truckers Want in the Highway Bill
Solving the Truck Parking Shortage
The shortage of safe truck parking has been a pressing issue for decades. OOIDA made clear that it will not support any highway bill that ignores this crisis. The Association is pushing for the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which allocates $755 million to create new parking spaces nationwide.
“If the next surface transportation reauthorization fails to provide dedicated funding for truck parking, but authorizes even a single penny of funding for new initiatives, OOIDA will use every tool it has to ensure the legislation is defeated,” the Association wrote.
Restroom Access for Drivers
OOIDA also wants lawmakers to include the Trucker Bathroom Access Act, ensuring drivers can use restrooms at shipper and receiver facilities.
“Having access to a restroom is one of the most basic needs for truckers,” the Association explained. “Most Americans take this need for granted and never worry about being denied restroom access where they work. Truckers, who make their living on the road, often depend on restrooms at facilities where they pick up or deliver freight. Unbelievably, professional drivers are frequently denied restroom access at these locations. While this problem affects all truckers, it is particularly burdensome for female drivers.”
Additional Measures Supported by OOIDA
Beyond parking and restrooms, OOIDA is backing several other policies, including:
- The DRIVE Act to block FMCSA from requiring speed limiters
- Stronger broker transparency rules
- The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act to fight freight fraud
- Enforcing existing English-proficiency requirements
- Suspending the non-domiciled CDL program
- Raising entry-level driver training standards
- More flexibility in hours-of-service rules
- Ending self-certification for ELD providers
- DataQ reform for fairer enforcement records
- Improvements to the National Consumer Complaint Database
- Cracking down on predatory lease-purchase programs
- Repealing the Unified Carrier Registration system
What Truckers Oppose
OOIDA also detailed several measures that would harm small-business truckers if included in the bill. Chief among them are proposals to increase truck size and weight limits beyond the current 80,000 pounds.
“OOIDA opposes controversial proposals to increase the size and weight of CMVs, which would reduce safety and adversely impact small trucking businesses,” the Association wrote. “In fact, allowing bigger and heavier trucks on our roads would only benefit shippers and a handful of large corporate motor carriers.”
Other policies OOIDA opposes include:
- Lowering the interstate driving age
- Raising minimum liability insurance requirements
- Requiring electronic identifiers or tracking devices on trucks
- Mandating side underride guards
- Truck-only VMT (vehicle miles traveled) fees
- Mandatory hair testing
- Worker classification rules tied to speed limiter mandates
- The AMERICA DRIVES Act
How to Weigh In
The Department of Transportation is still accepting comments through Monday, September 8. Anyone interested can submit feedback through Regulations.gov by entering the Docket No. DOT-OST-2025-0468. As of September 2, nearly 2,500 comments had already been filed.
Source: Land Line Media
Image Source: Jared Murray (Unsplash)
