NATIONAL CALL-TO-ACTION
July 19, 2005

No doubt about it. The highway bill will be finalized this week.  In fact, the extension expires tonight at midnight!

The fate of the mandatory fuel surcharge legislation could be decided today!!

The fuel surcharge provision has drawn considerable opposition from the big trucking corporations, big shippers and brokers.  They have pooled their resources to form an army of lobbyists to assault Capitol Hill.  They are telling their friends and their employees to call their lawmakers.  They are pouring in their money and pulling out all stops to get the fuel surcharge legislation out of the highway bill.

They know the fuel surcharge legislation helps to level the competitive playing field for small business truckers.  They know that the legislation forces them to pass through ALL of the fuel surcharges or adjustments that they are charging the shippers.  They know that the legislation will shine light on some of the fraudulent business practices in the trucking industry.

The big trucking corporations, big shippers and brokers are doing everything they can to put the real truckers of this world "in their place".

This is the greatest opportunity that you and your fellow truckers have had in many years to put your foot in the door of American politics and say, "Hell no, we ain't leaving!"  Your lawmakers need to hear from you TODAY, TOMORROW, and every day there after until the highway bill is signed into law.

As OOIDA members know all too well, some truckers are currently receiving some surcharge money, but most are either getting back a fraction of what they actually pay for fuel or nothing at all.  

Section 4139 of the House's version of the highway bill says that all motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders running truckload freight MUST implement fuel surcharges and they MUST pass 100% of those surcharges through to the person who actually pays for the fuel.  

Members of the highway bill conference committee need to hear from you, your family members, your friends and your fellow truckers  TODAY!   Please check the following link to see if one of your lawmakers is a member of the committee:   (link to committee list)

Please fax and call the offices of the committee members to urge them to make sure the fuel surcharge legislation is in that final version of the highway bill.  It never hurts to follow-up your call or fax with more calls and faxes to ensure he or she understands the importance of this legislation.

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SAMPLE  PHONE  MESSAGE:

"I am from ________, and I am a trucker.  I'm counting on  Senator/Congressman ___________to fight to keep the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in the final version of the highway bill.  Small business truckers deserve to have a level playing field with the big trucking corporations."

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If you do not have the time or resources to WRITE a detailed letter, PLEASE HANDWRITE a SHORT note stating why the fuel surcharge legislation is IMPORTANT TO YOU.

Time is short so fax your letter or note to the Congressman ASAP.

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SAMPLE LETTER:

July 20, 2005

Dear Senator/Congressman _____________,

I ask that you support the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in the House highway bill. Until this legislation becomes law, the livelihoods of many hardworking people from Missouri and the rest of our country will continue to fall victim to erratic and rising fuel prices.  Please demand that the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in section 4139 of H.R.3 be kept in the final version of the highway bill.  

As a small business trucker, I do not have the ability to raise my rates or establish a fuel surcharge when the price of diesel jumps.  Fuel surcharges are used by all of the big trucking companies to pass along higher fuel costs. Small business truckers do not have access to fuel surcharges like those big companies.  Without that access, tens of thousands of small business truckers like myself have gone out of business over the last few years.

The big companies that oppose the fuel surcharge legislation know that the cost of fuel makes up about 30-40% of small business truckers' operating expenses. Those big companies know that keeping small business truckers like myself from accessing fuel surcharges will keep us at a competitive disadvantage.  Those big companies are making record profits while small business truckers are struggling to survive.

The fuel surcharge legislation will help to maintain a reliable, competitive, and safe trucking industry without any cost to the federal government.  It will give all truckers the ability to collect a fuel surcharge when fuel costs jump.  I'm counting on you to fight to keep the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in the highway bill.

Thank you,

(Sign and provide your address)

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 If you have questions or need help locating a fax or phone number for your lawmaker, please call us at 1-800-444-5791.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CAPITOL HILL TAKE NOTICE.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR TRUCKERS THROUGHOUT AMERICA