WPRO News
The President of the American Trucking Association told members of Rhode Island’s trucking industry that the nation’s trucking industry stood behind the Rhode Island Trucking Association and will devote “whatever resources necessary” to stop truck-only tolling and the Rhode Works program in Rhode Island.
“We don’t know if the program is legal, but it is bad policy and an extortion of our industry,” said Chris Spear, the new President of the American Trucking Association in an address to the Rhode Island Trucking Association on Tuesday, August 23. “Our leaders are not representing us effectively and our local leaders are following suit with flawed polices. Where these policies adversely affect our industry, we will band together and fight to win. Regardless of that outcome, we will punish those people who target our industry as rolling ATM’s and make examples of them as a clear message to others who attempt to do the same.”
The governor’s office dismissed the ATA’s charges in a statement from communications director Marie Aberger. “The Governor’s focus is keeping people safe, putting people back to work, and rebuilding our infrastructure in a way that doesn’t just put the burden on every Rhode Island family. RhodeWorks does exactly that,” Aberger told WPRO. “Of course the Trucking Association has a vested interest in continuing to attack RhodeWorks: their own bottom line. It’s no surprise they still prefer to keep getting a free ride in Rhode Island, while causing most of the damage to our roads and bridges – even though they already pay tolls in nearly every other state from Maryland to Maine.”
Rhode Island Trucking Association President Chris Maxwell joined Matt Allen on WPRO Tuesday to discuss the trucking association’s plans going forward in the election season.
LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION BELOW:
