In The News

Congress considers cash incentives for crash avoidance technology

// Truckers will be able to get a tax break on the purchase of crash-avoidance technology if a bill that was just introduced in the U.S. Senate becomes law. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, and Sen. George Voinovich, R-OH, introduced the bill just before the August recess.

The bill – like one already introduced in the House – calls for tax credits of up to $3,500 per truck on the purchase of four specific types of crash-avoidance systems. The four systems are collision avoidance, lane departure warning, stability control and brake monitoring.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, a group designed to unite state enforcement agencies and trucking industry officials on enforcement standards for federal regs and that spearheads the annual Roadcheck inspection blitz, is strongly in favor of the bill. CVSA Director of Government Affairs Richard Henderson said it would encourage more use of safety technologies that are already widely used on European trucks.

Henderson also said the legislation is designed to ensure that small trucking operations would be able to take advantage of the tax breaks.