OOIDA's Accomplishments

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Our Accomplishments

Truth in Leasing
Leasing regulations have been changed to bring balance and fairness to owner-operators because OOIDA was diligent in bringing the problems of professional truckers to the attention of lawmakers in Congressional hearings. After the ICC was dissolved, OOIDA fought hard to preserve protections for owner-operators. Those efforts paid off when the ICC Termination Act included provisions to retain the truth-in-leasing regulations, allowing truckers to settle carrier disputes by filing a civil suit.

Tennessee Public Service Commission
In the early 1990s, OOIDA was able to stand up to political corruption on behalf of truckers and stop the widespread abuse of power carried out by one agency’s greedy, unscrupulous leader.

Members had been calling OOIDA with numerous reports about cab searches that were wrongfully classified as truck inspections throughout the state of Tennessee. OOIDA filed a lawsuit under the 4th Amendment’s illegal search and seizure clause. During the investigation, OOIDA uncovered astounding corruption taking place within the Tennessee Public Service Commission. It turned out that trucking companies contributing to the commissioner’s political campaign were allowed to run their businesses without an inspection or simply received clean inspection reports. Those who did not contribute, and especially out-of state truckers, were searched and cited for even the most minor infractions. After a lengthy investigation, the Tennessee PSC was abolished by 1995 and its leader’s political career was finished.

Related Land Line Article Commissioner to Pay OOIDA's Legal Fees

State Tax Refunds
In 1990, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) brought a lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania for axle taxes that discriminated against out-of-state truckers. This flat fee tax did not accurately reflect the amount of miles driven in the state. The ATA asked the state to refund the money to the motor carriers. OOIDA intervened on behalf of owner-operators who also paid the taxes. OOIDA was successful in returning a large portion of approximately $38.3 million to owner-operators.

In 1996, the largest state tax refund to date was in Alabama, which amounted to $68 million. Alabama was discriminating against out-of-state truckers by requiring them to pay a marker fee which wasn’t required from in-state truckers.

OOIDA has also secured refunds for similar taxes in various other states such as New Jersey, New Hampshire and Idaho.

Size and Weight Limits
OOIDA’s strong lobbying efforts paid off in 1982 when nationwide uniform truck size and weight limits were established by Congress through the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. Later, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) froze the weight of longer combination vehicles and limited them to routes that were allowed by the states.

Speed Limits
In the mid-90s, OOIDA was able to convince lawmakers that individual states should decide speed limits—not the U.S. government. OOIDA pushed for this change in the law with the help of the National Motorists Association.

Cross Border Trucking
OOIDA fought hard against the DOT's Mexican truck pilot program and was instrumental in convincing lawmakers to end funding for the project.

Additional Related Land Line Articles
25 years of OOIDA accomplishments - 1975 to 2000 – This Land Line article provides a chronological timeline with details of activities over a 25 year period from 1975 to 2000.