6 Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Mark Gibson, Chair OTA in Action Committee/ President, Siskiyou Transportation TRUCKING, BIKES, PEDESTRIANS, road diets, active transportation, traffic calming, 11foot lanes…there are so many things happening in Oregon today in terms of mobility that it is hard to begin to grasp the challenges freight faces. Oregon, like most, if not all of the world, relies heavily on the delivery of goods by truck. You have all heard that nearly everything spends at least part of its life being carried by truck. The phrase “Trucking Moves Oregon’s Economy” is so very true. Unfortunately, many segments of society tend to forget, or at least try to overlook that very fact. Trucking is critical to food distribution, the healthcare industry, manufacturing, retail, the workforce in general, emergency services, electricity production and distribution, as well as all other forms of energy production and distribution. Trucking is also critical to the electric vehicle industry, including trucks. How many Class 8 electric truck tractors have you seen traveling down Interstate 5 on a lowboy being pulled by a diesel truck? Trucking in Oregon is seeing increased competition for road space. One of the most frustrating aspects of this is the fact that trucking and cars pay for road construction and maintenance, yet much of what we lose is reallocated to other segments of society that pay very, very little, if any, of Oregon’s highway system, and certainly none of Oregon’s highway freight system. You will likely see a lot more media on this in the coming months due to the fact that truckers in Oregon will have overpaid the state of Oregon by $500 million by the end of 2025, prompting a lawsuit by the OTA and several OTA members. The Oregon Trucking Association holds many seats on various transportation-related committees and working groups throughout the state. Unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough of us at the OTA to go around, and countless transportation projects move forward with no input from trucking. (We need more involvement from members wherever and whenever we can get it!) Here are some of the issues we are dealing with daily that all have an effect on the movement of freight today and will many years into the future. ` Lane width reductions and road diets. There is a large push to decrease lane widths from 12 feet to 11 feet. This is being pushed from several perspectives; the fact that most roads in urban areas have limited or no space for expansion and therefore the addition of bike lanes, sidewalks, beautification projects, etc. oftentimes take all or part of a vehicular travel lane. The other discussion point is that narrow lanes provide a “traffic calming” effect. One of the working groups OTA is a part of is working to change Oregon traffic rules that would allow vehicles to utilize the buffer strip, if needed, between bike lanes and travel lanes. Unfortunately, we are still constantly forced to compromise by giving up ground to other interests. ` Roundabouts. Another area of great excitement for traffic planners is the addition of roundabouts. At any moment in time, there are dozens of proposed roundabouts throughout the state. Fortunately, OTA, in partnership with MOBILITY AND TRUCKING… A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Member involvement, no matter how much, is critical to helping watch out for, evaluate, and respond to these ever-increasing challenges.
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