Both the American Trucking Association (ATA) and the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) applauded Senate leaders for passing a long-term highway bill that makes needed transportation reforms and safety improvements.

The two-year, $109 billion highway bill was passed by a vote of 74 to 22, with all of the Senate’s Democrats and half of its Republicans voting for the bill.

"This bill advances the cause of highway safety and takes a number of important steps toward reforming our transportation system," said ATA president Bill Graves.

Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA, said that while the bill isn’t perfect, "it represents an important step forward in reforming our surface transportation programs back to where they belong, which is to focus on maintaining and improving our roads and bridges.”

OOIDA pointed to the bill’s many important provisions that it sees as beneficial to truckers, such as the truck parking shortage, reforming freight brokerage rules, and studying heavy-duty truck cab crashworthiness standards.

ATA highlighted a number of provisions in the bill: the creation of a new federal freight program, language aimed at restricting public-private partnerships and privatization, establishment of clearinghouse for commercial drivers’ drug and alcohol test results, a notification system so employers can be told of drivers’ traffic infractions, raises the bar new companies and drivers must clear before coming into the trucking industry; and orders the mandating of electronic logs for all commercial drivers.

Naturally, that last provision — the mandating of EOBRs — is where OOIDA and the ATA disagree.

Still, though, both associations are focusing on the positives. OOIDA also celebrated the fact the bill withstood efforts by many to expand the ability of states to add new tolls to the interstate highway system. “This is good news for small-business truckers and all highway users,” Spencer said.

The next step is for the bill to make safe passage through the House.

For more on the story, check out truckinginfo.com.