‘An increase in the user fee is the most cost efficient and straightforward way to provide a steady revenue stream to the Highway Trust Fund. Current funding expires May 31,’ said NAFA chief executive officer Phillip E Russo. ‘Congress has patched the Highway Trust Fund five times since 2008, continuing to kick the can further down the road, and now it faces yet another looming shortfall.’

The organisation highlighted that daily challenges of congestion, poor road conditions, closed bridges, and other obstacles have a direct impact on drivers’ efficiency and their employers’ bottom lines. 

Furthermore, every day thousands of fleet vehicles waste fuel and increase emissions as victims of congestion. According to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, 42% of America’s major urban highways remain congested, costing the economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel annually. In total, one in nine of the nation’s bridges are rated as structurally deficient, while the average age of the nation’s 607,380 bridges is currently 42 years.

‘Although the cost of fuel is the single largest component of operating costs, many fleets are willing to pay more in order to resolve the nation’s infrastructure crisis, provided the funds are used to ease congestion and improve safety,’ Mr Russo said. ‘The time for leadership and action is now. The costs of an increased fuel tax pales in comparison to the cost of continued inaction. We urge (Congress) to support an increased fuel tax.’