Sam Graves Leads Freight-Focused Roundtable Discussion for the House Transportation Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Sam Graves today led a roundtable policy discussion focused on the impact of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act on our freight industry. Graves, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, helped pass into law the first long-term Highway Bill in nearly a decade late last year.

“The U.S. economy stops without the freight and trucking industries,” Rep. Graves said. “With three major interstates running through my district in North Missouri, we sit at the crossroad of that major economic engine. But in order to keep up with our nation’s evolving transportation infrastructure network, the industry will need to adapt in order to survive.

“The new Highway Bill included provisions that prioritize modernization and the efficiency of freight movement across all methods of transportation, including a new formula for highway freight projects. I am glad we had a chance to focus on the implementation of these policies at today’s roundtable, and I look forward to continuing that discussion as we progress further in the process.”

A constituent of Rep. Graves, Brad Bowman of Smithfield Foods, was among the list of stakeholders and industry leaders invited to participate in the panel. Specifically, the group provided feedback on the impact of the new freight provisions in the FAST Act, as well as the trends in freight distribution on infrastructure needs and freight flows.

The movement of freight and related industries are significant contributors to the U.S. economy. Trucks carry about 70 percent of all freight tonnage, and the Federal Highway Administration estimates that nearly 25 percent of all traffic on interstate highways will be from trucks by 2040. Without an increase in traffic capacity, this poses a serious threat to safety and congestion on America’s roads.