79R6123 MW-F

By:  Phillips                                                     H.R. No. 600



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Members of the Texas Motor Transportation 
Association are visiting Austin on March 30, 2005, as they 
celebrate Trucking Day at the State Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, The trucking industry employs one out of every 11 
workers in Texas, or more than 620,000 people; there are 
approximately 43,000 motor carriers registered with the Motor 
Carrier Division of the Texas Department of Transportation and in 
excess of 500,000 commercial vehicles operating daily in the Lone 
Star State; and
	WHEREAS, Trucks transport nearly 60 percent of all the 
state's manufactured commodities, delivering necessary products to 
every Texas community, 72 percent of which rely exclusively on 
these motor carriers for their goods; the trucking industry further 
benefits the economy by generating over $17.5 billion in annual 
salaries and paying almost $1.7 billion in state and federal 
highway taxes and fees; and
	WHEREAS, Safety has long been a priority of the motor carrier 
industry, and since 1980 the number of heavy trucks involved in 
accidents in Texas has decreased 40 percent, despite a 37.5 percent 
increase in trucking miles traveled; in addition to complying with 
the nation's environmental regulations, the Texas Motor 
Transportation Association has a Safety Certification Program for 
safety professionals, an industry-funded commercial motor vehicle 
safety initiative designed to promote safety on Texas highways, and 
a variety of educational programs aimed at both the industry and the 
motoring public; and
	WHEREAS, The Texas Motor Transportation Association, the 
state association of the trucking industry, has continued to team 
with the Texas Department of Transportation to produce the 
first-ever mobile highway safety classroom, featuring a 
state-of-the-art, full-motion commercial truck driver simulator, 
designed to enhance the driving skills of commercial truck drivers, 
and to aid passenger vehicles in operating more safely as they share 
the road with commercial vehicles; and
	WHEREAS, The trucking industry is a vital part of the Lone 
Star State's economy, and it is indeed appropriate to take this 
opportunity to recognize the members of the Texas Motor 
Transportation Association and to commend their contributions to 
the state's economic well-being and their efforts to make Texas 
roads safer; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby recognize March 30, 2005, as Trucking Day at the 
State Capitol and welcome all those associated with this noteworthy 
event.