Trucking Coalition: Repeal Truck Excise Tax

Nine trucking groups are imploring two congressional committees to repeal the federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks and trailers. 

The July 24 letter, which went to the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee, estimates that repealing the tax would lower the cost of new equipment. It also says removing the tax would allow owners to replace their older trucks with more environmentally friendly ones. 

Signatories to the letter included the American Trucking Associations, the Truckload Carriers Association, the Diesel Technology Forum and the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association. 

The excise tax, established in 1917 to offset World War I costs, adds 12 percent to the cost of a new truck, according to the alliance.  

The coalition said that almost 50 percent of trucks in America were manufactured prior to 2010, and “each new clean-diesel truck will reduce emissions by 83 percent compared to the pre-2010 model power unit it replaces on our highways.”