Have you thanked your elected official today?

When it’s time to say “thank you”, sometimes a phone call just isn’t enough.

That was the attitude OOIDA Board Member Miles Verhoef took when an opportunity presented itself for him to meet his local congressman, Montana Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte,

The congressman was hosting an event at a brewery in Malta, Verhoef’s hometown. Miles says he went there to shake Gianforte’s hand in person.

“I wanted to make it a point to get there and thank him for his support (of truckers and OOIDA),” Verhoef said, pointing to Gianforte’s role as a leading sponsor or cosponsor on several amendments and pieces of legislation that would benefit small business trucking operations. “I wanted to be able to thank him face-to-face.”

Congressman Greg Gianforte, left, shakes hands with OOIDA Board Member Miles Verhoef at a meeting for constituents on August 30 in Malta, Mont. Courtesy Miles Verhoef.

Being from Montana, we’ve got two huge supporters of the trucking industry with Sen. (Steve) Daines and Rep. Gianforte,” Verhoef said. “It’s a big deal to have those guys in our court and not backing down.”

Since joining Congress in a 2017 special election as the representative for Montana’s at-large district, Gianforte has established himself as a frequent backer of legislation favorable to OOIDA’s agenda, including cosponsoring Texas lawmaker Brian Babin’s bills to delay the ELD mandate and to reform hours of service. Gianforte also was a lead cosponsor on HR 5948, the ELD exemption bill for motor carriers with 10 trucks and less.

Other bills cosponsored by Gianforte include:

• HR 6179 – Requiring the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study about the impact of ELDs and report the findings to Congress. Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cramer, the bill would require DOT to conduct a study to determine how many employees who must comply with ELD requirements have ceased being operators of a commercial motor vehicle as a result of such requirements.
• HR 6079 – Transporting Livestock Safely Across America Act. Introduced by Rep. Ted Yoho, an AG HOS bill that would permit various exceptions for livestock haulers

In June, Gianforte also wrote a letter to the EPA Inspector General about possible collusion between Volvo and the Environmental Protection Agency about the glider kit repeal. As a result of that letter and others, the EPA’s Inspector General announced a formal investigation into the matter.

For his part, Verhoef says it’s important for OOIDA members to take time and meet their elected officials, whenever possible.

“It can be a little nerve-wracking, speaking to someone with a title like that, but they’re just people,” he said. “And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

“They can put a name with a face, and a face with the association and then they know who makes up OOIDA,” he said. “I’d been meaning to call his office, but then I had this opportunity to meet face to face. What better way to say thank you than to shake his hand?”