FLEETSolutions Magazine Asks How Will The U.S. Fund The Highway Trust Fund?
In the summer of 2014, with funding for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) hanging by a metaphorical thread and Congress about to leave town for summer break, a last-minute stopgap effort emerged to temporarily keep money going to the HTF. NAFA Fleet Management Associations, as well as other associations and agencies, pushed hard for something with more permanence and stability, and not another "can kicked down the road," but it was the best one could get under the circumstances.
There is bipartisan concern for the infrastructure, but there is no single agreed-upon idea for what to do about it – and the countdown clock is once again ticking on the stopgap funding measure that will sunset on May 31, 2015.
On May 12, FLEETSolutions magazine will take on this subject with statements from political leaders such as Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Representative Tom Graves (R-GA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR); as well as Thomas Smith III, Executive Director, the American Society of Civil Engineers; and NAFA's Legislative Counsel in Washington, D.C., Patrick O’Connor. With several options up for discussion, including a full "devolution" from the HTF altogether, the debate has often been fractious and contentious.
"The safety and security of all drivers, including fleet drivers, depend on the well-maintained state of the infrastructure," said NAFA Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE. "Having come so close to the brink in 2014, it was inconceivable that we would repeat that scenario again, and yet, here we are. The Highway Trust Fund was a natural and necessary topic for FLEETSolutions to cover, and it is important for fleet professionals to know what is happening, to have an informed viewpoint, and to make their voices heard on the subject."
The May/June issue of FLEETSolutions will also cover the necessity for balancing resources for realistic asset management, a discussion about biodiesel fuel, a look at NAFA's Board of Trustees for the 2015-2016 term, and much more.
FLEETSolutions, NAFA’s official magazine, published bi-monthly, contains in-depth stories designed to educate, inform, and facilitate fleet managers to excel in their jobs. The magazine is developed to engage readership in the eight primary disciplines of fleet: Asset Management, Business Management, Financial Management, Fleet Information Management, Maintenance Management, Risk Management, Vehicle Fuel Management, and Professional Development. FLEETSolutions provides survey results on the most important topics in the fleet profession; and profiles of the best and brightest in fleet. FLEETSolutions is an exclusive benefit of being a NAFA member.
"NAFA’s FLEETSolutions is committed to bringing those subjects to light for fleet professionals," Russo said. "NAFA believes it is our responsibility to dig and learn, no matter what, and we do that with every issue."