The American Trucking Associations still wants to get rid of Oregon's burdensome weight-distance tax, but it's changing its strategy this time around.

In 1999, the ATA lobbied to get the tax overturned. They scored a victory when legislation passed replacing it with higher fuel taxes, but it was short-lived. Opponents, led by the AAA, got the measure put on the May ballot, where it was defeated after fuel prices rose last year.
The Oregonian reports that the group has shifted its focus, and is not lobbying to make incremental changes in the tax until they can get a court to throw it out. Sen. Marylin Shannon, who was head of the Senate Transportation Committee and had backed the bill, was defeated in the last election. Republican legislative leaders have said that any proposals similar to the 1999 bill would be dead on arrival this session. And Marshall Coba, who lobbied for the trucking industry, has been hired by the AAA.
So truckers now are asking lawmakers to ease the paperwork burden of the tax. They'd like to see more companies allowed to file quarterly instead of monthly; eliminate the special $7.50 license plate for out-of-state trucks; and allow truckers with good records of paying the tax to not have to post bonds guaranteeing payment when they enter the state.
Meanwhile, the ATA has filed a lawsuit, claiming the weight-mile tax is unconstitutional because it discriminates against out-of-state truckers. The law exempts in-state trucks carrying logs, gravel and cement, as well as some farm trucks.
A similar lawsuit in Idaho was settled out of court, with the state repealing its weight-distance tax and refunding millions of dollars to truckers.