TRUCKING LAW LEGAL, TO START ON JAN. 1

Missouri has implemented the instate trucking deregulation that goes into effect nationwide at midnight.

The new legislation is part of the Aviation Infrastructure Investment Act signed into law in October.

Deregulation of instate trucking means states no longer will be able to set rates, issue licenses or routes within their domain.

U.S. District, Judge David L. Russell, ruled Friday that the law is constitutional. Russell ruled against the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in its attempt to prevent the law from taking effect.

The suit was filed in federal court in Oklahoma City by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission contending the federal government has no authority to control instate trucking.

The Oklahoma group had received plenty of support in its suit, including the states of Kansas, Montana and Michigan and the Teamsters Union, a coalition representing some carriers and shippers; and the Coalition Against Federal Preemption, a group of motor carriers and interested parties with members in 41 states.

The judge heard the case Tuesday.

Pat Petree of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Public Affairs Department said Friday the commission hadn't seen a copy of the judge's decision. A decision on whether to appeal the ruling will be made next week.

"There were a lot of unanswered questions when the instate deregulation proposal was first announced," said Steve Waters, director of the Missouri Division of Transportation. "It was kind of scary."

But, during the past two months, Waters and his department have researched the regulations and have answered some of the questions.

"We feel Missouri is out front on this legislation," he said. "We're ready."

When the deregulation was first announced, Waters said he felt it could be bad for the trucking industry in the long run.

"The more you study the legislation, the more you weigh all the pros and cons," he said this week. "You can change your mind."

Deregulation could be good for shippers and consumers in the short run, he said.

"It could add more competition, which would reduce rates for some consumers," he said.

"Although we have no more say in the rates, routes and service, we will still be providing services to enforce safety and weight rules," Waters said.

About 2,200 carriers operate in Missouri. With deregulations, more trucking companies are expected to emerge.

When interstate deregulation took effect in 1980, the number of trucking companies increased, but in the long haul some freight movers closed operations.

A couple of Cape Girardeau County trucking companies agree the new measure could benefit the trucking industry.

Jackson Transfer President David Moll thinks deregulation will open opportunities for shipping.

Jackson Transfer operates solely in Missouri.

Moll hopes the new law will do away with most of the paperwork, adding that anytime that happens it's "a step in the right direction."

Kermit "Moose" Meystedt, owner and president of Genesis Trucking in Cape Girardeau, said, "We survived through the 1980s with cross-country deregulation."

Some companies say the new deregulation won't affect them.

One of these is Roadway Express, headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

"We don't do instate shipping," a Roadway spokesman said. "Our short trips average about 1,200 miles.

Roadway, which operates nationwide, has a local office near Scott City.