Despite a year of economic challenges, trucking notched several important victories and is well-positioned for further success. That was the message from Chris Spear, president of American Trucking Associations (ATA), during his remarks at the group’s annual conference in San Diego.
He said in the 10 months since President Trump started his second term, California’s Advanced Clean Truck, Advanced Clean Fleet, and low NOx regulations were all killed or paused, as was the federal Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 requirements.
“We explained that [electric] trucks do not have the infrastructure, do not have the cost parity, and do not have the operational capacity to compete with clean diesel trucks,” Spear said.
Spear listed the permanent tax cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” efforts to fight cargo theft, and winning $200 million (all figures USD) for truck parking as other victories. He also spoke in favor of the enforcement of English language proficiency laws for truck drivers and other measures “to root out bad actors.”
“Qualified means you can speak English, read road signs, understand safety rules, and respect our laws. Qualified means you are not abusing alcohol or using drugs. Qualified means you earned your CDL the right way, not through a rubber-stamped process in a state that looks the other way,” Spear said.
Looking ahead, he expressed confidence that the Environmental Protection Agency was listening to the industry’s concerns on its NOₓ regulation, finalized in 2023. “We’re pushing for an immediate answer on their reopening, delaying, and changing the rule,” Spear said.
He expects additional states to pass legislation on lawsuit abuse and progress on updated independent contractor rules that would “protect the more than 350,000 independent contractors who have a critical role in our industry.”
Tariffs remain a topic of disagreement
Spear acknowledged that Trump’s stance on tariffs is an area of disagreement. He pointed out there were ATA members and others in attendance from Canada and Mexico, and that free and fair trade is critical to America’s future.
“Our strategy has allowed us to clearly object without compromising progress on all the issues I just cited,” Spear said. “That said, if tariffs continue trucking’s prolonged freight recession, ATA may well consider strategic shifts that address the direct and indirect impacts on our industry.”
A shortage of (qualified) drivers
“Given the freight recession, we’re not feeling the impact of a driver shortage like we have in past years,” Spear said. “The shortage in talent has never been about the number of people with a commercial driver’s license . . . it’s about qualifications. We don’t lack people with CDLs. As the recent devastating crash in Florida demonstrated, what we lack is a number of qualified drivers who meet our high standards of professionalism and safety.”
In the days since Spear made this remark, there has been social media chatter about whether this reflects a shifting position by ATA.
It’s a fair observation that Spear’s explanation is more nuanced than a press release headline designed to grab attention. Many would argue that during better economic times, it’s more about driver pay and competition with other jobs that guarantee being at home every night.
But despite what some have suggested, it is not the first time ATA has discussed a lack of qualified drivers.
Back in 2015, Bob Costello, ATA’s chief economist, raised concern about this very issue: “The lack of qualified drivers remains a tremendous threat to continued industry growth.”
