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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Members of the Texas Motor Transportation |
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Association and the Southwest Movers Association have traveled to |
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Austin on February 16, 2011, to celebrate Trucking Day at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Nearly 600,000 people are employed by the trucking |
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industry in Texas, which accounts for 1 out of every 15 jobs in the |
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state; in addition, there are more than 20,000 trucking companies |
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registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and |
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approximately one million commercial vehicles operating daily in |
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the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, Trucks transport nearly 81 percent of all the |
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state's manufactured commodities, delivering necessary products to |
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every Texas community, more than 82 percent of which rely |
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exclusively on these motor carriers for their goods; the trucking |
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industry further benefits the economy by generating over $31.1 |
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billion in annual salaries and paying almost $3.1 billion in state |
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and federal highway taxes and fees; trucking also pays 40 percent of |
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all motorists' taxes and fees while representing 12 percent of all |
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vehicle miles traveled in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Safety has long been a priority of the motor carrier |
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industry, and this focus is showing positive results with the large |
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truck fatality rate at its lowest point since the U.S. Department of |
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Transportation began keeping such records, registering a 64 percent |
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decline since 1975; the Texas Motor Transportation Association |
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complies with the nation's environmental regulations and offers a |
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variety of educational programs aimed at both the industry and the |
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motoring public; the organization also supports a safety |
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certification program, an industry-funded commercial motor vehicle |
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initiative designed to promote more secure travel on Texas |
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highways; and |
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WHEREAS, The trucking industry is a vital part of the Texas |
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economy; primarily composed of locally owned small businesses that |
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are, in turn, served by an array of supporting businesses, the |
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industry provides an invaluable service and employs many proud |
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Texans; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 16, 2011, as Trucking Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend to all those associated with the event |
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sincere best wishes for a memorable visit to Austin. |