ATA Chairman Kuntz to Testify Before Senate Committee

ARLINGTON, Va., April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ray Kuntz, ATA's Chairman of the Board, will ask a Senate panel tomorrow to make fundamental changes to federal surface transportation programs that will allow the trucking industry to more efficiently move freight. The changes will improve the nation's global competitiveness; reduce fuel consumption and lower vehicle emissions.

Chairman Kuntz, who is also Chairman and CEO of Watkins and Shepard Trucking in Helena, Mont., will testify before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The hearing will focus on "Surface Transportation and the Global Economy."

Chairman Kuntz will ask the subcommittee to dedicate additional resources for repairing critical highway freight bottlenecks and address rural highway needs, and to ensure that the public interest is protected if tolling or private financing is used to fund projects.

He will also recommend reforms to federal truck size and weight limits that give states more flexibility to make common-sense changes to their own regulatory regimes. Other panelists testifying at the hearing will include representatives from Nike Corp., the AFL-CIO and the United States-China Chamber of Commerce.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building. A copy of Chairman Kuntz's prepared testimony will be posted to ATA's website following the hearing. Photos of Chairman Kuntz testifying will be available from ATA on Wednesday afternoon.

The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States.