By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Congressman Sam Graves makes a few stops in St. Joseph prior to returning to Washington for the upcoming three-week session of Congress.
Graves tells reporters during a tour of Deluxe Truck Stop near the Stockyards in St. Joseph that if the federal government wants to help the trucking industry and the economy it needs to loosen restrictions.
“Using more common sense would help out a lot,” Graves says. “I mentioned earlier, electronic logging and being so strict when it comes to the amount of time that someone driving a truck can be on the road. Well, when you have a perishable product, whether that’s livestock or food or whatever the case may be, milk, whatever, it creates a real problem. You just have to stop at that particular time.”
Trucking plays a vital role in shipping supplies and getting goods to market, a role that has become too easy for Congress to overlook.
“You’ve got to remember too, trucking is the most important part of that distribution chain, because no matter if something travels by rail or ship or barge or pipeline, ultimately it has to get on a truck and go to the final destination,” Graves says.
Congress returns to its three-week session after the Labor Day weekend. Graves expects Congress to pick up negotiations on another large coronavirus economic stimulus bill, a last chance prior to the November elections.
Graves today meets with Missouri Farm Bureau members from the St. Joseph area and wraps up his visit by meeting with the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River.