Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO  64029
Web site: www.ooida.com

Contact: Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com 
Headquarters: (800) 444-5791

(Grain Valley, MO, Jan. 8, 2008) - The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) appreciated Gov. Jon Corzine's candid speech today about fiscal responsibility, but will not endorse his plan to raise tolls to pay off 50 percent of the states staggering debt. Gov. Corzine proposed substantial toll hikes today for the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway and other routes.

"A proposal that puts an enormous burden on highway users and truckers is a flawed financial solution to the state's overwhelming financial problem," says Mike Joyce, OOIDA senior government affairs representative. "This will not make the state more competitive in the global marketplace, and for the governor to use scare tactics of increases in other taxes to get an enormous increase in toll rates, is unacceptable."

Truckers pay tolls, which are taxes, on top of paying fuel taxes and other highway use fees for every mile they drive in New Jersey, whether they live there or not.

"Truckers and highway users have already invested into the highways, so his plan to divert toll revenue to public transit is also intolerable. The money should go back into the roads," states Joyce.

"The Association looks forward to the governor's promise of an open, transparent process which would more properly reflect the investment required of highway users toward a so-called 'debt reduction' plan," adds Joyce.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more 159,000 members nationwide, with more than 4,600 members in New Jersey. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, MO, area.