Thread: Trump says he’d consider increasing the gas tax

So perhaps you can enlighten me on why you oppose charging the trucking industry a higher gas tax on the diesel fuel they use?

Originally Posted by Judy

So perhaps you can enlighten me on why you oppose charging the trucking industry a higher gas tax on the diesel fuel they use?

You're not paying attention again, Judy. Of course they should pay a higher highway usage fee. It's their 40,000 lbs. rigs that are doing most of the damage. That higher fee doesn't have to be through fuel usage. You are aware that some private automobiles also use diesel fuel, aren't you? It doesn't really matter because if the federal government raises the gas tax it will go on both types of fuel, not just diesel. The trucking industry, instead of whining for us to subsidize their businesses, should pay their fair share for highway infrastructure, which they're not doing now.

Perhaps we should go over this one more time:

The Hidden Trucking Industry Subsidy

Freight trucks cause 99% of wear-and-tear on US roads, but only pay for 35% of the maintenance. This $60B subsidy causes extra congestion and pollution, and taxpayers pay the bill.

It seems obvious that the heavier the vehicle, the more damage it does to roads over time. A 40,000 pound big rig probably does a bit more damage than your average 3500 pound consumer vehicle, right? It turns out that vehicle road damage doesn’t rise linearly with weight. Road damage rises with the fourth power of weight, and this means that a 40,000 pound truck does roughly 10,000 times more damage to roadways than the average car [1]!

In other words, one fully loaded 18-wheeler does the same damage to a road as 9600 cars. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the trucking industry represents 11% of all vehicles on the road in the US, while paying 35% of all highway taxes. But if trucks represent 11% of vehicles, their heavy loads cause them to do 99% of all road damage! [2] The trucking industry paid $35 Billion in highway taxes in 2005, according to the ATA. Since most of the $100 Billion in highway taxes paid goes to maintenance (and US infrastructure maintenance is far behind), this implies that the trucking industry receives a $60 Billion annual subsidy from other drivers.

What are the negative effects of this subsidy? Since the trucking industry doesn’t pay the true cost of its road usage, it benefits relative to rail and other forms of transport. Freight rail lines are privately owned and maintained in the US, so they don’t receive a similar subsidy. As a result, more truck traffic ends up on highways than the market would dictate, leaving the taxpayers poorer, the air dirtier, and the roads more congested.

[1] Here’s some information on US pavement equations, including the statement of the fourth power law. Here’s another statement of the same, which also shows that on weaker surfaces, damage rises with the 6th power of the load.

[2] In order to calculate the damage done by trucks versus other vehicles, let’s assume that a fully loaded truck does the same damage to the roadway as 9600 cars, as mentioned above. In that case, then 11%, or 0.11 * 9600 = 1056. This is a measure of total damage done by truck traffic. Meanwhile, car traffic does 89% * 1 or 0.89 in damage. So the total damage is 1056 + 0.89 or 1056.89, of which 1056, or 99.9%, is done by trucks.

Perhaps half of all trucks are actually traveling empty. If an empty truck weighs 20,000 pounds, then it puts 4000 pounds onto each of its five axles, versus 2000 pounds on each axle for a car. The truck will do 2^4 more damage than the car, or 16 times more damage. So let’s add the totals back up: 5.5% * 9600 + 5.5% * 16 = 529. 529 / 529.89 = 99%. In fact, even if all big rigs in the US traveled empty, they would still do two-thirds of all damage to US roads!

https://truecostblog.com/2009/06/02/the-hidden-trucking-industry-subsidy/

Then why do you oppose the trucking industry suggestion to raise the gas tax on their industry?

Originally Posted by Judy

Then why do you oppose the trucking industry suggestion to raise the gas tax on their industry?

They are pushing for an increase across the board, not just their industry.

How much of an increase are they pushing for?

AAA, Chamber, truckers: Raise the gas tax now

By Keith Laing - 01/26/15 01:47 PM EST

A trio of influential lobbying groups is pushing lawmakers to increase the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax to pay for a new transportation bill.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AAA auto club and American Trucking Association said in a letter to members of Congress on Monday that raising the gas tax would be the easiest way to close a transportation funding shortfall that has reached an estimated $16 billion per year.

“There are many challenges that Congress must address this year, but we believe that finding a solution for funding the Highway Trust Fund is at the top of that list,” the groups wrote.

“While no one wants to pay more, we urge you to support an increase to the federal fuels user fee, provided the funds are used to ease congestion and improve safety, because it is the most cost efficient and straightforward way to provide a steady revenue stream to the Highway Trust Fund.”

High-profile Republicans such as Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) have expressed skepticism about asking drivers to pay more at the pump to finance new transportation projects.

"I know the popular thing that a lot of people are talking about is the gas tax. But I just don't believe the votes are there in the Congress at this point to do that," Shuster said in a speech last week to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington.

"It seems that … the number one source that's being talked about is this repatriation of funds," Shuster continued. "So as we go through this process and tax reform, it'll be part of tax reform. We'll figure out how to get there."

Other lawmakers, including a few influential Republicans in the Senate, have indicated that they would be open to raising the gas tax now that prices at the pump have fallen to their lowest levels in years.

In their letter, the groups said there is wide support among voters for fixing the nation’s transportation infrastructure, though polls have shown drivers are opposed to paying more at the pump to help solve the construction funding crunch.

“Americans are frustrated with our nation's crumbling infrastructure, including increasingly congested highways and deficient roads and bridges,” the groups wrote.

“Thirty-two percent of major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. This neglect costs the average driver $324 each year in additional vehicle repairs and operating costs. … Fortunately, there is a simple solution to address this issue in the near-term: raise the federal fuels user fee, provided the funds are used to ease congestion and improve safety."

The gas tax, which predates the development of the Interstate Highway System, has been the traditional source for transportation projects since its inception in the 1930s.

The tax, which has not been increased since 1993, brings in about $34 billion per year. The federal government typically spends about $50 billion per year on road and transit projects, and transportation advocates have maintained that the larger figure is only enough to maintain the current state of the U.S. infrastructure network.

The current transportation funding bill, which authorizes the collection of the gas tax at its current rate, is scheduled to expire in May.

http://thehill.com/policy/transporta...k-gas-tax-hike

So we collect $34 billion in gas taxes but spend $50 billion. That's a negative deficit of $16 billion a year that either gets paid out of income taxes from General Revenue or runs onto the debt without any new road or bridge infrastructure.

$50 billion doesn't sound like very much money for all our roads and bridges. We spend $104 billion a year on food stamps.

I live near a very busy trucking route...they tear up our roads, our cars are trashed from the rock damage. Had 2 windshields replaced. And there are many people the have Diesel pick up trucks that would have to pay the higher tax. Diesel is already higher than regular.

These semi-trucks clog up our highways and do a lot of damage. I live in the country and there are 3 logging companies down the road. Those trucks are running all day long starting at 3:30 am to dark!

NO MORE TAXES! STOP REBUILDING OTHER COUNTRIES...STOP ALL FOREIGN AID AND REBUILD OUR COUNTRY WITH THAT MONEY.

THEY RAISE THESE TAXES AND THE MONEY DOES NOT GO TO WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO GO...MORE SLUSH FUND!

Congress debates raising the 80,000 pound truck weight limit SSTI

www.ssti.us/2012/01/congress-may-raise-the-80000-pound-truck-weight-limit/
Jan 22, 2012 - Congress set the current 80,000-pound weight limit for trucks on Interstate highways in 1991. For years proponents of raising the limit have ...

WHO ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN? WHY?

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