Grain Valley, MO… The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) congratulates U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Penn., for being named Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for the 113th Congress.

The Association looks forward to working with Congressman Shuster and the rest of the Transportation Committee to improve the nation’s roads and bridges and advance commonsense highway safety policies.

“We stand ready to work with Rep. Shuster and are optimistic he will advance legislation that will actually help the small-business truckers out there on the road. His background and leadership record have more than prepared him for the challenge ahead,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice-president of OOIDA.

OOIDA hopes that the new chairman will work to preserve an industry where owner-operators are able to thrive and small businesses are able to compete.

“The future of small-business trucking could be at stake if we continue to pursue costly and unnecessary regulations that offer no safety benefits while ignoring areas of the industry where drivers are being abused and inefficiency rules the day,” said Spencer.

“We hope for an era of smart policy.” 

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is a trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 150,000 members in the United States and Canada. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area.