U.S. Rep. David B. McKinley, R-W.Va., recently visited Wheeling Truck Center in Wheeling, W.Va., to discuss how federal regulations are affecting the industry. McKinley, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 from West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, toured the dealership, met with employees and got a firsthand look at some of the latest advances in truck and engine technologies.
The dealership visit was part of the American Truck Dealers’ ongoing efforts to make members of Congress more aware of how federal regulations affect the commercial truck-retailing industry. Ron Remp, dealer principal, explained to McKinley that many of today’s changes are driven by the federal government and do not offer value to customers.
“It’s hard to justify the increased cost for these developments,” Remp says. “Representative McKinley took this opportunity to learn about some of the challenges truck dealers face and also to better understand how legislative actions in Congress affect truck dealers. We discussed a proposed bill that would eliminate the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax currently charged on the sale of new heavy-duty trucks by replacing it with a cost-neutral 7.3-cent diesel fuel tax.”
