Grain Valley, Mo., July 29, 2008 – Coming soon along a highway near you, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Transportation, signs that read “For Sale.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) responded to an announcement by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters where she asks for reform of funding highway and transit systems that would place a priority on public private partnerships and tolling.

The Association contends the proposal has no real meaning this late in the game and does not address the real problems and challenges that need to be focused on.

“The Administration is on its way out and is simply hanging a ‘For Sale’ sign on our highways as a last ditch effort to reward their friends on Wall Street, ” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA Executive Vice President.

“We are hopeful the next Administration and Congress will have a more reasoned, positive view of transportation and infrastructure and do more with their roles as leaders in making sure needed transportation improvements are made and highway users and taxpayers are treated fairly,” he added.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is a trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 159,000 members in the United States and Canada. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Missouri area.