The year was 1982. The computer was named "Machine of the Year" by Time. Sony launched the first consumer compact disc player and Congress passed the Surface Transportation Assistance Act to help restore the country's roads and bridges.
In the 29 years that have since passed, technologies have made remarkable progress. Computers have become smaller, more powerful and hardwired into our everyday lives.
How about our nation's surface transportation programs? If the state of our nation's highways - and the policies that govern their use - are any indication, we're still in the 1980s.
In fact, our policies and approach to modernizing our transportation infrastructure have failed to meet transportation mobility, sustainability and safety goals, succeeding only in restricting the nation's ability to compete on a global scale.
It's time to find ways to improve the utility and competitiveness of highway surface transportation without incurring additional costs to users. Allowing the expanded use of more productive trucks, such as longer combination vehicles, on more of our nation's roadways is one such way to address these challenges.
