MBUFA will be hosting its first Quarterly Meeting of 2020 in Washington, D.C. on January 17, following the meetings of the Transportation Research Board. The Quarterly Meeting will focus on the following issues:

Wisconsin DOT joins the many other DOTs that are already MBUFA Members to work on testing and evaluating road charging in the United States.

Penske’s interest in the subject of mileage based user fees is rooted in the desire to ensure that our customers’ and industry’s interests and concerns regarding a deployment of mileage based user fees are adequately represented. Currently, the commercial motor vehicle industry is unique given that it is subject to a few user-based fees in the form of IRP, IFTA, weight distance taxes and tolls. Our industry presents elements that must be considered in order to ensure a fair and equitable taxation model. We appreciate the opportunity to bring our knowledge and experience on this subject to this discussion as it moves forward.

MBUFA Members gathered in one of Southern California Association of Government's (SCAG) conference rooms to a great view of downtown LA and an early morning, very clear view of the Hollywood sign in the distance. But attention quickly turned to the many topics for the day which focused on California and the next steps the state may be preparing to continue moving forward on road pricing issues.

The morning started with SCAG Executive Director, Kome Aijse, giving a briefing on the issue of Distance Based Pricing in the LA Region and the considerations for funding the many transportation projects being considered for the 2028 Olympic Games that will be hosted in this region. He discussed the need for MPOs to be more involved in the MBUF pilot discussion due to their unique perspective. SCAG is the largest MPO in the nation and has Distance Based Pricing considerations in many of their long term plans.

 

Lauren Prehoda, from Caltrans, and Hannah Walter, from the California Transportation Commission, provided updates on the California Road Charge Program and the planning involved at this point for consideration of future road charge pilots.

 

The day ended with Norma Ortega, former CFO of Caltrans, leading a discussion of changes that should be considered as the discussion of a National Trial for the nation continues to unfold.

 

Dr. Martin Wachs, UCLA faculty for the Department of Urban Planning and a Member of the California Road Charges Technical Advisory Committee, provided MBUFA members with a thought provoking speech about the future of road pricing in California and the issues that surround it. We are providing the entire speech for the many Members who have requested it.

Download the Speech PDF