U.S. Rep. Mac Collins, R-GA, said May 15 he'll run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by the retirement of Democrat Zell Miller in 2004.

Collins began as a trucker, starting Collins Trucking at age 18. The company is now run by his son. Among the issues that Rep. Collins intends to promote in his campaign are cutting taxes, promoting local control of government and boosting education.

Collins supports efforts by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association to enact fuel surcharge legislation that would reimburse truckers when spikes in diesel prices occur and OOIDA's June Safety Month initiative, which calls on all truckers to strictly observe state laws including speed limits and all federal safety regulations.

Collins started his political career as a Democrat, serving on the Butts County Commission from 1977 to 1981. In the 1980s, he switched to the Republican Party, and from 1989 to 1993 served in the Georgia Senate. That year, he came to the U.S. House, where he serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.