American Truckers At War

The New Conservative Underground - Professional, Polite, Prepared to Kill

Wyoming studies I-80 trucker tolls

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The state Department of Transportation has commissioned a study on whether commercial truckers should pay tolls to use Interstate 80 in Wyoming.

The study will also examine public-private highway ownership partnerships, said Doug McGee, spokesman for the agency.

The study is part of an effort to explore alternative ways to pay for I-80 maintenance in light of flat or decreasing federal highway funding and rapidly escalating numbers of commercial trucks on the deteriorating interstate highway. More from The Trucker

I don’t care what the reasoning is - truckers do NOT need to continue paying for more tolls. The article sates further:

Von Flatern, who led an unsuccessful bid last year to raise the state gasoline tax, said it’s early in the process, but he estimates that commercial truckers could eventually pay from $40 to $80 to cross the roughly 400-mile width of Wyoming on I-80.

He said that price stacks up well against other states with pilot tolling programs on their interstates. Money raised could be used to pay for vast safety improvements on I-80, including the possibility of an added lane in both directions, he said.

Early estimates suggest that revenue from tolling might generate the entire $6 billion to $8 billion the state says it needs to maintain and expand I-80 in Wyoming over the next 20 years, Von Flatern said.

It’s all about the money. State and Federal agencies know that we have to be on the roads to deliver food, fuel and clothing - even the paper needed to come up with this nonsense. Trucking companies are already buckling under increasing fuel prices - now Wyoming wants to choke us even further.
RTaylor

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | economy, trucking | , , | No Comments

Diesel jumps 18.2 cents to $4.331

After a slight decrease last week, the weekly retail on-highway diesel price rose 18.2 cents per gallon setting another new record, according to the Energy Information Administration.

On May 12 the price was $4.331, up $1.558 from the same week one year ago.

All regions showed at least a 12 cent increase, with the Midwest coming in with the largest jump of 19.7 cents a gallon to $4.298. The area with the costliest diesel was the Central Atlantic region at $4.516, which was a 17.1 cent increase from the week before. More from The Trucker

California, as usual, has the highest average diesel fuel price at $4.547 per gallon. At what point will Washington get serious about domestic drilling and realistic plans to get us off foreign oil?
RTaylor

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | trucking | , | 1 Comment

New ethics complaint targets Ramos-Compean prosecutor

A Christian pastor says he has filed an ethics complaint with the Texas Bar Association seeking an investigation into U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton’s “willfully misleading” statements in the case against former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.

Don Swarthout, president of Christians Reviving America’s Values, today confirmed his ethics complaint cites Sutton’s actions in the case in which Ramos and Compean were convicted of shooting at a drug smuggler who had dropped a load of marijuana near the Texas border and was fleeing back into Mexico. More from WorldNetDaily

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | Border Security | , , | No Comments

Stamp Prices Rise to 42 Cents Monday

WASHINGTON — The cost of mailing a letter goes up a penny to 42 cents on Monday, the latest in what are expected to be annual price adjustments by the Postal Service.

A new law regulating the post office makes it easier to raise rates as long as the agency doesn’t exceed the rate of inflation. Rates are to be adjusted each May.

But the post office also has introduced a way for people to save money when the price goes up, the Forever stamp, which remains valid for first-class postage regardless of any increases.

With the rate increase approaching, sales of the Forever stamp reached 64 million-a-day in April, postal officials said.

Forever stamps currently sell for 41-cents, but can be used after the rate increase without any additional postage. However, when the rate goes up, so does the price of Forever stamps.

Unlike the Forever stamps, other 41-cent stamps will require additional postage under the new rates, and postal officials said they printed an additional 1.5 billion 1-cent stamps in anticipation of the demand. From FoxNews

Does anyone even USE snail mail anymore? You can pay your bills on line or via phone (most of the time for free), send ecards, email, read magazines and newspapers…….
RTaylor

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | economy | , | No Comments

ATAW Exclusive: Jim King Announces Energy Policy

(Land O’ Lakes, FL - by Renee Taylor) Republican candidate for US Congress in Florida’s 5th District, Jim King, has released his Energy Policy for America.

Mr. King recognized the core issues that have created high energy costs and has created a four point plan to reduce those costs and reliance on foreign oil.

1. Immediately sell permits for oil and gas exploration in Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and off the coast of Florida.  King says, “With respect to exploration off the coast of Florida, America has two options:  sit back while China and Cuba drill just off our coast with complete disregard to any environmental impact or do it ourselves.”

2. Immediately permit a number of oil refineries within the United States.  If state and local governments are unwilling to issue the necessary permits, the Federal government should allow these refineries to be built and operated on a Federal basis.

3. Our economy needs lower corporate taxation on businesses to allow them to expand and create more jobs while decreasing our reliance on foreign oil. This will create a lasting stimulus to our economy, unlike “quick fixes” such as the recent “tax rebate”/redistribution of wealth stimulus program.

4. Immediately end ethanol subsidies and funding. The evidence is overwhelming that ethanol from corn is having a negative effect on our energy needs by raising fuel and food costs.

Many of us remember the long gas lines in the early 1970s. In 37 years, Congress has done nothing to protect and preserve our energy independence. Thirty seven years is plenty of time for Washington to act in the best interests of America.

The American people need a new congress. Incumbent Fifth District Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) has failed to demonstrate the leadership necessary to give America energy independence. She has squandered an excellent opportunity while the Republican Party held the majority in the House and Senate by failing to represent Florida and the American people by addressing this critical issue.

For more on Jim King’s stand on important issues such as energy, the economy and veterans’ benefits, please visit www.needanewcongress.com.

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | Politics, economy | , , , , | 2 Comments

Truckers hold meeting in Florida

Sent via Dan Little

Saturday, May 10th 2008

Around 100 truckers held a meeting in New Port Richey, Florida, today to discuss fuel related issues affecting the trucking industry.

At the meeting was State Senator Mike Fasano from District 11. Also in attendance was a VP from the Florida Trucking Association, Matt Ubben.  The meeting was put toghere by Robert Solfio, the owner of Big Tiger Trucking. David Mika of the Fla Petrolem Concil was invited but backed out at the last minute. Also there was Owner Operators United (OOU) Inc Board Member Pat Kramer.

Most of the discussion was on fuel, and the crowd was rather unhappy with the answers that were given by the Senator.

While the crowd was rather loud through most of the speachs things got quite as a mouse when OOU board member Pat Kramer handed her cell phone to Robert Solfio, who in turn then placed the mic to the phone. on the other end of the line was OOU Inc CEO Dan Little. Dan first started out by thanking all the truckers for thier hard work, then he asked the Senator if he would actually stand up for the truckers. Dan also asked the senator to introduce a bill in Florida to suspend their state fuel tax, to introduce a bill in Florida to give truck owners a 100% Tax Credit on APU purchases, to introduce a bill to create an oversite comm. of class 8 truck ins. preiums & last he asked the senator to prove he truly was supporting the truckers by joining the OOU Inc.

The senator replyed by saying “I could not hear anything he asked” but refused to talk directly to Mr Little on the phone.

Everyone in the crowd said they heard Mr Little “Loud & Clear.

Pat Kramer, the OOU Inc board member from Florida, passed out around 5o OOU membership apps. She stated “people were coming up to me asking for the applications to join”,

Contacts in Florida goverment have been contacted to discuss the above mentioned bills. The OOU is leading the way to represent the trucking industry from O/Os & Company Drivers.

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | economy, trucking | , , , , | No Comments

An Early October Surprise

by JR Dieckmann

Is it any coincidence that in this year of 2008 we face perhaps the most important presidential elections in our history, and in the same year, a doubling of gas prices has occurred? It would be a stretch of the imagination, or as Mrs. Clinton would say - “a suspension of disbelief” to believe that these two issues are not connected.

Do you remember back in 2004, there was a lot of talk about a George Soros “October surprise” which was intended to collapse the stock market and bring down the economy just before the election? This disaster, had it happened, would all have been blamed on George W. Bush and his tax cuts, to benefit the Democrats in the November election. Soros himself is quoted as saying he would give his entire fortune if it would ensure the defeat of Bush. It is not just Bush whom Soros opposes, but any Republican in the White House that he cannot manipulate to advance his own liberal-socialist agenda. Read more »

May 12, 2008 Posted by rtaylor83305 | Politics | , , , , , | No Comments