Today’s Pickup: White House infrastructure plan may depend on private dollars

Good day,

The long-awaited infrastructure plan from the White House is taking shape and could be part of President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Jan. 30, according to Reuters. CNN, however, reports that the plan will not likely be finished by that time due to the president’s travel schedule.

The proposal, Reuters said, would include $200 billion in federal funding split into four separate pools. The overall plan is designed to encourage private investment, which officials Reuters talked with suggested could be $1.35 trillion.

The government’s share of funding, with a final amount still in flux, would include $100 billion for cost-sharing projects with local governments, $50 billion for rural projects, and $25 billion each for infrastructure loan projects and “transformative projects,” such as high-speed rail. The money would be spent over 10 years.

There has been no indication on how the White House would pay for the program.

Earlier this week, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue called for a 25-cent per gallon fuel tax increase to fund infrastructure projects.

Did you know?

Factory production climbed 7% on an annualized rate in the fourth quarter and 1.3% for all of 2017, according to preliminary data from the Federal Reserve.

Quotable:

“As an industry, our primary goal was not only to rally behind an important cause but also to have a real impact. The multi-faceted approach taken by the truckstop and travel plaza industry illustrates that private enterprise can make a consequential difference in the fight against human trafficking.”

– Lisa Mullins, NATSO Foundation president

In other news:

Industrial production climbs in December

Industrial production closed out 2017 slightly higher with a seasonally adjusted 0.9% increase in December, the Federal Reserve said. (Wall Street Journal)

GM outsources material handling work to 3PLs in China

GM has handed off all material handling work at is 17 Chinese factories to DHL, which manages the logistics of moving parts to plants and preparing them for installation. (Reuters)

Rental trucks exempt from ELD rule until March

The DOT announced that short-term rental trucks, defined as those of less than 30 days, will be exempt from the ELD rule until March 18. (CCJ)

Factory production up 7% in Q4

The government reported that factory production increased 7% in the fourth quarter and finished 2017 up 1.3%. (Bloomberg)

Poll suggests Americans want limits in autonomous vehicles

A poll of Americans conducted by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety says that 64% are concerned about autonomous vehicles and want more government control. (Fleet Owner)

Final Thoughts

An infrastructure proposal from the White House may be ready within weeks, but initial reports suggest it will be for $200B over 10 years and geared toward attracting private dollars. The funding, at just $20B per year before private investment, is just a drop in the bucket to the nearly $1T many experts believe we need to fix the nation’s infrastructure. According to Reuters, the proposal may not even be an increase over the current yearly investment from the government.

Hammer down everyone!

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