{"id":2677,"date":"2021-04-26T17:25:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T17:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2677"},"modified":"2021-04-26T17:25:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T17:25:05","slug":"trucking-and-biden-administration-what-to-expect-from-washington-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/trucking-and-biden-administration-what-to-expect-from-washington-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Trucking and Biden Administration: What to Expect from Washington in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Unless you live in a cave, you know there is a new game in Washington D.C. With the Biden administration ushering a new era in our nation\u2019s capital, expect big changes in the transportation sector. Indeed, some of those changes are already here. With Democrats in charge, we will likely see a tilt back towards regulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">           <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- QTSTrkBlogRsp -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9546273301\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>        <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why we wanted to take a deeper look at how the\ntransportation sector may see changes. Whether it be through direct legislation\nor executive action, what can trucking companies expect from our new\ngovernment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From the White House<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Presidents of modern generations have used executive actions\nto great effect. And the Biden administration is no exception. In fact, they\nhave wielded the power of the executive pen more than just about any other,\nhaving <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/interactive\/2021\/politics\/biden-executive-orders\/\">already\nissued over 50<\/a>, with 32 coming in their first month. Many times, executive\norders and administrative reviews are designed to undo \u201cmidnight regulations\u201d\npassed in the waning days of a previous administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New administrations use regulatory reviews to put executive\nactions on pause until they can be permanently eliminated. One of the big\nregulatory changes has been Biden undoing the Trump administration\u2019s rule of\ngetting rid of two regulations for every new one proposed. There has also been\na change to the criteria by which the White House considers new executive\nactions and administrative reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a good idea already what direction the Biden\nadministration will go in where transportation is concerned. Pete Buttigieg,\nthe new Secretary of Transportation, has already stated during his Senate\nconfirmation hearing that \u201csafety is the foundation of the department\u2019s mission.\u201d\nWhat will this mean in real life? Likely more regulation. But it is important\nto keep in mind that the White House is not the only place where trucking\nregulations are born. Look across to Capitol Hill for the other building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Congressional Reviews and Legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Congress also wields the power of a pen. One way that the\ntrucking industry can be impacted is through the Congressional Review Act (CRA)\nstates that Congress can eliminate an agency rule if it was published in the\nFederal Register within 60 days of a new administration. Even more, all it\nrequires is a simple majority, so it cannot be thwarted using a filibuster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, expect some of the Trump administration\u2019s final\ntransportation rules to be in the Congress\u2019 crosshairs. Rules that could wind\nup on the chopping block include the new independent contractor definition and\nthe FMCSA\u2019s agricultural commodities rule as it relates to HOS exemptions. With\nDemocrats in charge and talk of ending the legislative filibuster, who knows\nwhich way this could go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another area of concern is legislation. But this also could\nbe an area of opportunity. Both the White House and Congress have been chomping\nat the bit to get a big infrastructure deal done. But will it get done, is the\nquestion. There has been little appetite for bipartisanship in Washington D.C.,\nwith just about any idea going through a partisan wrecking machine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What Replaces the Fuel Tax?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The big question around <a href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/a-new-report-highlights-the-urgent-need-for-infrastructure-funding\/\">infrastructure legislation<\/a> remains the fuel tax. This is another area where Secretary Buttigieg has already provided his thoughts on the matter. During a virtual keynote address at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials\u2019 annual Washington Briefing, Secretary Buttigieg said that the Biden administration does not see the fuel tax as a long-term solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">           <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- QTSTrkBlogRsp -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9546273301\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>        <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, it is likely the federal government under this\nadministration will pursue a road usage assessment as a viable alternative. In\na zero emissions future, the fuel tax will be practically useless. With\nCalifornia already mandating electric vehicles and the Biden administration\nannouncing government fleets will go green, there isn\u2019t much time to come up\nwith an alternative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In further statements during the briefing, Secretary\nButtigieg said his department would remain open minded. He stated his intent to\nwork with transportation companies, government agencies, and advocacy group in\ncrafting policies that made sense for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A U.S.-Canada partnership has also been announced, with\nSecretary Buttigieg recently releasing a joint statement with the Canadian\nTransport Minister to cooperate on using the power of their agencies to advance\nclimate policy goals. In fact, they recently released a joint road map called\nthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2021\/02\/23\/roadmap-for-a-renewed-u-s-canada-partnership\/\">Roadmap\nfor Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its initial statement, the two ministers state that the\nroadmap \u201ccreates a partnership on climate change, advances global health\nsecurity, bolsters cooperation on defense and security, and it reaffirms a\nshared commitment to diversity, equity, and justice.\u201d With both nations now\nmore aligned politically, you may very well see increased regulatory action on\nboth sides of the border in the coming years. Yet, we all know politics is a\nfickle animal. Nothing lasts forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Different DOT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One notable comment during the briefing came when Secretary\nButtigieg discussed sustainability. It is no secret that the Biden\nadministration is going to take a decidedly different approach to climate\nchange, and this approach will propagate through government agencies. Buttigieg\nsaid \u201cWe know that the transportation sector is the largest source of\ngreenhouse gas emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went on to lay out what that actually means in saying the transportations sector needs \u201cto create a network that meets the less pollution, that is more resilient for the challenges that climate change is already laying at our feet,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd we&#8217;ve got to take the opportunity to transform our deteriorating\ninfrastructure into a 21st-century system that creates more of those\nopportunities and accelerates equitable growth, and critically increases the\nglobal competitiveness of our country at a moment when there&#8217;s no time to lose,&#8221;\nhe concluded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What will this translate to from a policy perspective? Many\nfleet managers and trucking industry experts are expecting the regulatory\npendulum to take another swing back to the left \u2013 if you will \u2013 with more\nregulations. Whether those regulations are weighted towards trucking companies\nor workers remains an open question, though Democrats typically favor workers\nin legislation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the Regulatory Picture?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider that the DOT and other agencies can regulate\noutside of legislation. Although promulgating regulations must be approved by\nthe White House Office of Management and Budget, the direction of regulatory\nmovement is influenced by whomever occupies the White House at any given\nmoment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When regulations are not yet in the final publication phase,\nbut are in the proposal and comment period, the agency in question can simply\ndiscard the rule. One such example of a regulation that could be axed under\nthis method is the yard move rule, which was just proposed over a month ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is that the FMCSA does not currently have an\nadministrator. While there is a deputy administrator currently in charge, major\nrule changes and proposals won\u2019t be expected until and administrator is\nconfirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Biden administration has signaled that it may used\nregulations to advance policy goals. In a January 20 order titled \u201cModernizing\nRegulatory Review,\u201d it used the following language:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[Agency] recommendations should provide concrete\nsuggestions on how the regulatory review process can promote public health and\nsafety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental\nstewardship, human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations.\nThe recommendations should also include proposals that would ensure that\nregulatory review serves as a tool to affirmatively promote regulations that\nadvance these values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem here is that many of these factors cannot be quantified numerically. If part of a regulatory process includes agencies comparing the cost of a technology against more of a human value, people will rarely win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">           <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- QTSTrkBlogRsp -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7475595057439740\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9546273301\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>         <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trucking policy issues will likely be in the crosshairs of Biden administration regulators. Everything from speed limiters to fuel efficiency standards, hair testing, and more. Still, no one knows how far the pendulum will swing. Will the regulatory environment in 2021 favor the trucking industry? Only time will tell. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unless you live in a cave, you know there is a new game in Washington D.C. With the Biden administration ushering a new era in our nation\u2019s capital, expect big changes in the transportation sector. Indeed, some of those changes are already here. With Democrats in charge, we will likely see a tilt back towards &#8230; <a title=\"Trucking and Biden Administration: What to Expect from Washington in 2021\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/trucking-and-biden-administration-what-to-expect-from-washington-in-2021\/\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Trucking and Biden Administration: What to Expect from Washington in 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.6 (Yoast SEO v18.4.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Trucking and Biden Administration: What to Expect from Washington in 2021 - Quick Transport Solutions Trucking Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/trucking-and-biden-administration-what-to-expect-from-washington-in-2021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trucking and Biden Administration: What to Expect from Washington in 2021\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unless you live in a cave, you know there is a new game in Washington D.C. 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