Boots on the ground

Do you know who your lawmakers are? And, just as importantly, do they know who you are?

One of the greatest assets of this Association is the line of communication that members establish with their elected officials and congressional staffers. But what does it take to establish those relationships?

OOIDA's Washington, D.C., staff hosted a seminar on Friday of truck show weekend to provide tips to members on how to break the ice with their lawmakers and build an ongoing dialogue.

"We are the boots on the ground, the bridge between members and lawmakers," OOIDA Director of Government Affairs Ryan Bowley told an assembled group during Friday events. "But you are the experts."

Getting to know the staffers in congressional offices is important. Often, they are the ones who deal with issues directly and who can track the comments and feedback on important issues.

Staying on topic is important and effective, says Bowley, whether it's about a Call to Action or educating a lawmaker or staffer on an issue.

"Make sure you have an agenda for your call," Bowley told the group. "Focus on one specific thing, whether it's HOS, or CSA. If you establish a relationship, you have a chance to bring up other issues at a later time."

Ryan Bowley and Ben Siegrist from
OOIDA's Washington, D.C. office

OOIDA Legislative Affairs Director Ben Siegrist says a call-in or email campaign can have a direct effect on an issue if the staffers or members of Congress know who is doing the talking.

"Your message carries a whole lot more weight when they are familiar with you and familiar with the issue," he said.

A second part of the seminar dealt with navigating the complex  – and, for many, intimidating – regulatory process. Bowley and Siegrist discussed the importance of filing comments on proposed regulatory changes and rulemakings.

"This is where details are filled in and the rubber meets the road," Bowley said. Again, staying on topic and responding to specific points in a proposal has the most effect.

During a question-and-answer period, OOIDA Member Mark Elrod said a visit to D.C. helped him realize that there's no quick fix on any issue. He added, however, that everyone he met seemed genuinely interested in his perspective.

"It was a real eye-opener for me," Elrod said. "They do like hearing from common people in Washington, and common people can make a difference."

Road Law attorneys share legal tips with OOIDA members

For more than 20 years, attorneys Jeff McConnell and James Mennella have been putting their experience as criminal defense attorneys at the disposal of commercial drivers. On Friday afternoon at the Heart of America Truck Show, they shared that knowledge with dozens of OOIDA members in a Q&A session.

Both McConnell and Mennella spent plenty of time talking about “the green and white book,” aka the book of rules and regulations for drivers published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

They said drivers should dog-ear, paperclip, or whatever else they need to do to memorize Section 383.51, which details the disqualification of drivers. The section covers the five moving violations and three non-moving violations that can cost a driver his or her CDL.

McConnell had one valuable bit of free legal advice for attendees: “Always plead not guilty” when it comes to those serious violations.

“The burden of proof is on the state to prove you committed the crime you’re accused of,” he said.

Both men urged drivers to be familiar with the CSA website, and to have an account created with CSA in order to monitor their individual driving records.

There was also an extensive discussion of CSA’s Data Q challenge system, which is supposed to allow a driver the opportunity to dispute inaccurate information on a CSA report.

Under the current system, a driver wishing to dispute an incident on his or her CSA report must call into Data Q and report the dispute. The Data Q representative will then call the law enforcement agency or other party who reported the complaint against the driver.

“You’ve got a bureaucrat calling the fox about what he did in the henhouse,” McConnell said. “That’s not due process. It’s smoke and mirrors.”

Road Law, which is based in Oklahoma City, is a regular contributor to Land Line Magazine. They also offer a toll-free number for consultations: 888-276-8000.