Trucking groups: No thanks to suspending fuel tax

Three of the trucking industry largest stakeholder groups voiced strong opposition to proposals that would suspend federal gas taxes, arguing the move would offer negligible benefit to consumers while gutting funding earmarked for highway safety and infrastructure.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Truckload Carriers Association, and the National Tank Truck Carriers issued a joint statement cautioning lawmakers that suspending the tax would fail to provide the financial relief intended for American families.

The groups say that because federal fuel taxes are collected at the wholesale level rather than the retail pump, there is no guarantee that savings would be passed down to drivers.

"History shows that gas tax holidays deliver negligible benefit to consumers," the joint statement said. "While the average motorist pays about $1.63 per week in federal fuel taxes, a suspension would translate into only about 30 cents in weekly savings."

Indeed, estimates from experts at the University of Pennsylvania note that, "consumers would see roughly 60%-72% of the tax savings at the pump, with the remainder captured by suppliers."

The trucking associations also raised alarms regarding the Highway Trust Fund, which relies heavily on fuel tax revenue to maintain the nation's roads and bridges. The trucking industry, despite representing only 4% of vehicles on the road, contributes nearly half of the fund’s total revenue.

The groups warned that without a plan to replace the lost funds, infrastructure projects could stall.

Penn experts estimated that a tax suspension fro June 1 to October 1 would starve the Highway Trust Fund of roughly $11.5 billion in lost revenue.

"America’s highways are truckers’ shop floor," the groups stated. "Without replacement funds, fuel tax revenues supporting critical investments in highway safety and infrastructure projects would evaporate, hindering the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the country."

The coalition urged Congress to pivot toward solutions that provide meaningful relief to consumers without undermining the "long-term integrity" of the U.S. transportation system.