Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, April 6, 2023:
Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) this week reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to establish a refundable income tax credit for qualified commercial drivers.
The bipartisan Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act would provide a short-term incentive to attract and retain new drivers, the legislators believed.
Specifically, the bill would do the following:
“We need to encourage more young men and women to join this career path," Gallagher said, invoking the notion of a workforce shortage in trucking, "and this bipartisan bill is a commonsense way to recruit and retain more drivers to keep our shelves stocked and our economy moving.”
Gallagher and Spanberger first introduced the bill in April 2022. The legislation is endorsed by the American Trucking Associations, American Loggers Council, National Grocers Association, International Foodservice Distributors Association, American Building Materials Alliance, Forest Resources Association, Hardwood Federation, Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Third Way, and National Pork Producers Council.
Earlier this year, Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota) and Jim Costa (D-California) introduced the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act, a bill that, among other things, also called for a temporary $7,500 tax credit for eligible drivers. That bill puts a cap on eligibility linked to adjusted gross income for the taxable year not exceeding $135,000 for couples filing jointly; $112,500 as head of household; or $90,000 individually. New drivers under the SHIP IT Act would be eligible for a $10,000 tax credit.
