{"id":22705,"date":"2026-06-09T20:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/ata-president-ceo-chris-spear-urges-congress-to-accelerate-transportation-innovation-american-trucking-associations\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T20:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:09:00","slug":"ata-president-ceo-chris-spear-urges-congress-to-accelerate-transportation-innovation-american-trucking-associations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/09\/ata-president-ceo-chris-spear-urges-congress-to-accelerate-transportation-innovation-american-trucking-associations\/","title":{"rendered":"ATA President & CEO Chris Spear Urges Congress to Accelerate Transportation Innovation – American Trucking Associations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Media Contact:<\/strong>
Office of Public Affairs<\/a>
Washington \u2013 American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear testified today before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety, urging Congress to support policies that accelerate the deployment of proven technologies, strengthen America\u2019s supply chain, and ensure the United States remains the global leader in transportation innovation.\u00a0
The hearing, titled \u201cThe Need for Speed: How Technological Advances are Driving Transportation Innovation,\u201d was convened by Subcommittee Chairman Todd Young (R-IN), who has emphasized the importance of ensuring America continues to lead in the development and deployment of technologies critical to the nation\u2019s transportation network.\u00a0
\u201cTrucking moves the vast majority of our nation\u2019s freight, connects manufacturers to markets, keeps store shelves stocked, and delivers essential goods to communities in every state,\u201d Spear told the Subcommittee.<\/strong> \u201cOur industry is already investing billions in technology to create a safer, more modern freight network. Innovation-driven solutions not only improve outcomes but also help lower the prices paid by consumers and businesses alike.\u201d\u00a0
In his testimony, Spear outlined six policy priorities Congress should advance to help build a safer, more efficient, and more resilient freight network.\u00a0
First, Spear called on Congress to repeal the 12% federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks, trailers, and tractors. The century-old tax adds tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of new equipment, discouraging fleet turnover and slowing adoption of the latest technologies. Spear urged lawmakers to support Chairman Young\u2019s Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act<\/em>, which would remove this outdated barrier and accelerate the deployment of newer, cleaner, and safer equipment nationwide.\u00a0
Second, Spear emphasized the need to preserve a clear national framework for motor vehicle safety standards by reaffirming the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s role as the primary authority over vehicle safety. A fragmented patchwork of state or court-imposed equipment standards, he warned, would create uncertainty for manufacturers, motor carriers, and the broader supply chain.\u00a0
\u201cTrucking is a national industry, and vehicle standards must remain national as well,\u201d Spear said. <\/strong>\u201cThat clarity is essential if companies are going to invest confidently in new technologies and deploy them at scale.\u201d\u00a0
Third, Spear urged Congress to establish a federal framework for autonomous commercial vehicles. Autonomous systems, he said, hold real promise to enhance safety, improve productivity, and strengthen America\u2019s economic competitiveness, but only if deployment is governed by a clear national strategy. The BUILD America 250 Act <\/em>would provide needed guidance and help prevent a patchwork of conflicting state rules from stifling innovation.\u00a0
Fourth, Spear called for technology upgrades and operational improvements at federal agencies to combat the rise of cargo theft and supply chain fraud. Criminal networks are exploiting outdated systems, weak identity controls, and fragmented reporting structures to steal freight, impersonate legitimate carriers, and undermine trust in the supply chain. Spear highlighted Chairman Young\u2019s SAFER Transport Act <\/em>and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act<\/em> as important steps toward strengthening federal tools to detect, deter, and respond to these crimes.\u00a0
Fifth, Spear urged Congress and regulators to distinguish between technologies that are ready for broad deployment and those that still require additional testing, refinement, and real-world validation. Policymakers should promote proven safety technologies while avoiding mandates for systems that have not yet matured or demonstrated effectiveness in trucking operations.\u00a0
Finally, Spear warned against proposals that could disrupt existing positioning, navigation, and timing technologies relied on by the freight network. He specifically urged policymakers to reject NextNav\u2019s petition to repurpose the Lower 900 MHz band in a manner that could risk harmful interference with incumbent devices and systems used across logistics, transportation, and critical infrastructure.\u00a0
\u201cTogether, these six steps would send a clear signal: Congress is ready to embrace the technologies of today and tomorrow and help the trucking industry deliver even greater safety, resilience, and economic strength for the American people,\u201d Spear said.\u00a0<\/strong>
Spear\u2019s testimony comes as Congress prepares to consider the next surface transportation reauthorization and as the trucking industry continues making major private-sector investments in technologies that improve safety, efficiency, environmental performance, and supply chain reliability.\u00a0
Click here to read Spear\u2019s full testimony.<\/a>
Join more than 37,000 ATA members representing America\u2019s trucking industry. Membership is open to for-hire motor carriers, private carriers, industry suppliers & allied companies, shippers, and individual professionals through our councils.<\/span><\/span><\/span>
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\u00a9 2026 American Trucking Associations<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Media Contact:Office of Public AffairsWashington \u2013 American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear testified today before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety, urging Congress to support policies that accelerate the deployment of proven technologies, strengthen America\u2019s supply chain, and ensure the United States remains the global leader in transportation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}