NATSO Foundation

It’s no secret that most business groups view last week’s decisive wins of Republicans in the U.S. Senate as a major coup. After years of being marginalized, especially in the Senate, Republicans will shape the agenda when the 114th Congress goes into session in the first week of 2014.

To prevent new tolls on existing interstates, truckstop operators have partnered with the trucking industry, restaurants, manufacturers, highway users and many others to form the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (ATFI).

Unfortunately, last week’s reversal of the debit rule by a federal judge is not going to bring relief to retailers any time soon.

Tolls are finally becoming “interoperable,” according to representatives of the so-called “tolling industry,” the folks who used to nickel and dime drivers but today extract much larger sums. What this means, once the system is up and running, is that drivers can travel on toll roads in various states and most of the time, receive a bill for their tolls.

Attending the conference has taught me that even for a chain like ours, our legislators do listen, are aware of how things impact us and will consider all of the issues before they cast a vote.

The single, most effective way to capture a politician’s attention is with a brief, thoughtful letter.