News From ASET - April 29, 2002

ASET Fly-In Event Planning Has Begun

Americans for Safe and Efficient Transportation will hold our annual fly-in event this June 19, 2002 in Washington, D.C. This year's event will help to demonstrate our coalition's commitment to the principles of safety and productivity in motor carrier transportation and logistics.

We will meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building's Gold Room (Room #2168). There, various leaders in the transportation industry will speak to our group on the need for greater productivity enhancements. Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH), Chairman of the House Administration Committee will speak to our group, as will Bill Canary, President & CEO of American Trucking Associations as well as several others from the shipper and motor carrier industries.

Once the luncheon is completed, ASET members will conduct legislative meetings with individual Members of Congress to educate them as to why so many different companies and industries are involved in the effort to safely increase truck weights.

Finally, ASET will hold a dinner at a Capitol Hill restaurant later that evening for Members of Congress and Executive Committee and Associate Members of ASET. This will conclude ASET's fly-in event. Feel free to view the entire agenda by clicking here.

If you are interested in participating in this event, please contact Jake Jacoby at (703) 549-9467. If you prefer, you can submit the response form online or e-mail to jjacoby@aset-safety.org.

ATA & NIT League Meet with ASET

ASET held a joint meeting with the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the National Industrial Transportation League (NIT League) on April 25th. At this meeting, all three groups reaffirmed their commitment to the idea of productivity legislation in Congress. The meeting proved fruitful for all, as it was helpful to understand which issues confronting Congress are most important to each association. The ASET proposal to increase weights in single-trailer trucks (with the addition of a sixth axle) is fully supported by both the ATA and NIT League and although ASET will continue to take the lead on this issue, the other two associations pledged their cooperation to help move this issue along in the House and Senate Transportation Committees in the coming year ahead.

New Members of ASET

ASET would like to welcome two new Associate Members of our coalition. The first company is Tyson Foods Inc. Tyson is the largest provider of protein products on the planet, the world leader in producing and marketing beef, pork, and chicken. Having such a recognizable and well-regarded company such as Tyson as a member of ASET will only enhance our ability to get our message out to Congress and others in the world of transportation. The agriculture community will be one of the leading beneficiaries of our safe productivity legislation once it is enacted.

The second new member is Abitibi-Consolidated. Abitibi is a global leader in newsprint and uncoated groundwood papers with ownership interests in 27 paper mills in Canada, the US, the UK, and Asia (including its 50% interest in Pan Asia Paper Co.) and in 22 sawmills, 3 remanufacturing facilities, 10 recycling centers, and a market pulp mill.

Abitibi-Consolidated is the #1 recycler of old newspapers in the world and the fifth leading producer of lumber in North America. Abitibi-Consolidated employs approximately 17,000 people and supplies products in nearly 100 countries.

Brochure Near Completion

It is often difficult to express all the virtues of safe productivity legislation in one meeting, document or phone discussion and yet Members of Congress and executives at busy companies often don't have the time to wade through too much information. This was the impetus for developing a brochure discussing ASET and our legislative proposal. Within the brochure, one can find safety statistics, talking points, two pictures that literally prove the productivity value of the ASET proposal, and a handful of case studies that examine the cost, fuel and trip savings that will occur between a shipper and motor carrier company once they are allowed to haul 97,000 pound vehicles safely with a sixth axle. This brochure will be a key component for ASET in our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill as well as a grassroots tool to educate those in the motor carrier and shipper industries as to the benefits that await their companies once we can enact weight legislation in Congress.

Check back with ASET's web site to view a copy of the brochure within the next few weeks or call Jake Jacoby to receive a hard copy. All members of ASET will receive their own brochure in the next 2-3 weeks.