Now that Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th president of the United States, observers are looking to what kinds of decisions he might make that affect the trucking industry.


Bloomberg reported that as president, Obama "may put spending on roads and bridges at the top of his agenda for stimulating U.S. economic growth."

Obama has addressed this issue in a number of speeches, saying we can create jobs by rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges. In addition, Bloomberg notes, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants spending on highways and other transportation infrastructure included in the next stimulus package.

Beyond an immediate economic stimulus measure, Obama also has endorsed a $60 billion National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank.

Then there's energy policy. The Associated Press reports that Obama has said he wants to spend $15 billion a year to spur alternative energy and more efficient use of energy.

"President-elect Obama is already at work to make good on his promises to boost mileage standards, increase ethanol-powered and electric cars, expand tax incentives for all biofuels, draw from the SPR, regulate commodity trading, and create a cap and trade emissions market," says Tom Kloza, senior oil analysis for the Oil Price Information Service.

For businesses for whom unions are relevant, the Associated Press predicts that organized labor will renew its bid to enact the Employee Free Choice Act. Under the EFCA which passed the House but failed in the Senate unions could increase their membership by having employees sign cards, instead of going through secret-ballot elections to organize workplaces, a procedure commonly referred to as "card check."

We'll have a more complete look at this topic in the December issue of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine.