Truckers call for energy plan

Truckers call for energy plan A representative of the American Trucking Associations asked the Bush Administration and Congress to implement a comprehensive energy plan that would ensure an affordable supply of oil and limit the effect of rising fuel costs on the U.S. economy.
   Speaking before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Barbara Windsor, President and chief executive officer of Hahn Transportation of New Market, Md., said the United States needs a comprehensive energy plan that decreases demand for fossil fuels, increases domestic energy production and ensures transparency in the petroleum markets.
   “This dramatic year-over-year increase in the cost of diesel fuel is harmful to the trucking industry and the U.S. economy. The fuel crisis we face today is severe.”
   Windsor said Hahn Transportation’s fuel costs have increased 55 percent compared with last year.
   ATA said the dramatic increase in the price of diesel, which has coincided with a downturn in the economy, is hurting trucking companies nationwide, and because trucks haul nearly all consumer goods, rising fuel costs have the potential to increase the cost of everything transported by truck, including food, retail and manufactured goods.