|
|
|
|
Hard-drivin' Senator
CDL-holder Campbell stands up for truckers
Since diesel prices went through the roof earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) has emerged as a Capitol Hill advocate for truckers. Not surprising: Campbell holds a CDL from Colorado and worked his way through college by driving trucks.
Between Senate duties, Campbell visited Cummins Engine's Denver distributor on March 10 and tried out one of the company's Signature 600 engines in a Kenworth W900L.
"What an engine!" the senator said after his drive. "The Signature 600 takes fuel economy to a new level without sacrificing horsepower. It's a great innovation. I have driven trucks for most of my life and even put myself through college by driving a truck, and the Signature 600 is the best I've ever experienced."
A member of the Senate subcommitteeon transportation, Campbell introduced a bill addressing the increasing cost of diesel fuel. Inspired by the Feb. 21 rally by more than 500 truck drivers at the U.S. Capitol, he proposed a temporary suspension of the federal excise tax of 24 cents per gallon on diesel fuel.
Campbell was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Colorado, in 1992 and again in 1998. A veteran of the Korean War, Campbell is currently the only American Indian serving in the Senate and the first to chair the Indian Affairs Committee.
He's also a trucking buff, and, after seeing Stan Holtzman's article "Classic Iron" in the Nov./Dec. 1999 issue of Road King, sent us a note of appreciation:
"I read with interest a recent article in Road King on some beautiful old trucks and thought you may like a photo of my Ford C-8000," Campbell wrote. "It had been a Coca-Cola truck in Sacramento, CA, before I got it three years ago and has been customized to pull a 35-foot family RV. It is still in light service. I also enjoy showing it in old car and truck shows."
|
|
|
|
