How do government affairs issues affect your business?
The government is constantly enacting new laws that affect the way you do business. Whether it is a tax incentive, OSHA regulation, TPMS, health care issues, or tire industry legislation, government agencies always impact your business. And all of their decisions affect your bottom line. TIA is your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill and your voice in Washington, D.C. We represent your interests with OSHA, EPA, IRS and DOT. We work closely with Congress to guide legislation in a direction that will benefit you, your employees and your business.
Working for you, TIA's government relations team represents the tire industry with one voice in Washington, D.C.
Congressman and FMCSA Chief Safety Officer
Keynote Speakers at 2012 GTE Tire Industry Awards
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is excited to announce their co-keynote speakers at this year’s 2012 Tire Industry Awards ceremony taking place on the eve of the Global Tire Expo at the SEMA Show. Representative Albert Wynn, former congressman of Maryland’s 4th district, and Jack Van Steenburg, Chief Safety Officer (CSO) at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will be giving their remarks during the Tire Industry Honors Award Ceremony.
Al Wynn served in the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen years. During the majority of his time as a congressman, Representative Wynn was an integral part of the House’s Energy and Commerce Committee sponsoring such important legislation as the 2007 Energy Act which included a tire fuel efficiency consumer information program. Mr. Wynn was most recently Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, and was a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. He was also part of the House leadership serving as the Senior Democratic Whip, Regional Whip, and as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. Currently, he practices law at Dickstein Shapiro, LLC, with a focus on legal and legislative counseling.
Before becoming Chief Safety Officer at FMCSA, Jack Van Steenburg worked as Director of FMCSA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance since May of 2008. In these positions at FMCSA, he has been a major force in creating commercial vehicle safety initiatives while actively working to forge partnerships between government, law enforcement, safety associations, and industry. Prior to joining FMCSA, Jack Van Steenburg was a highly successful New York state police officer, rising in the ranks from trooper, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, to staff inspector.
“I have tremendous respect for what the motor vehicle industry does for our economy,” said Mr. Van Steenburg. “Our number one goal is the safe and efficient movement of products and people on our nation’s roadways. We are committed to working with industry and all of our stakeholders to improve commercial vehicle safety and to protect all highway users.
Representative Wynn and Mr. Van Steenburg will be speaking at the Tire Industry Honors Awards Ceremony on Monday, October 29, 2012 at 6:00 PM in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Admission is complimentary, but an RSVP is requested. To reserve your place at this special event, please visit the “Events” section of www.tireindustry.org and go to “Global Tire Expo.”
Tire Legislation - TIA Takes the Lead
Tire Industry Association (TIA) board of directors is continuing its proactive approach on improving safety for the motoring public by proposing to make improper tire repairs illegal. TIA’s proposal to states seeking to pass tire repair legislation would extend the tire industry’s well-established best practices by making it:
- Illegal to plug a tire on the rim or install a patch on the inside without filling the void left by the object
- Illegal to repair a puncture in the shoulder or an injury in the sidewall
- Illegal to repair a tire that has already been illegally repaired.
Ernie Caramanico, who is president of New York Tire Dealers Association, TIA board member and president of Amityville Firestone stated, “Inherently dangerous practices like plugging the tire without inspecting the inside and installing a patch without filling the injury would become illegal and hopefully cease to exist. This would be an important step for the image of the tire industry and the safety of the motoring public, so it makes sense for TIA to promote good legislation that makes a positive impact without causing harm to anyone other than those who improperly repair tires.”
TIA is resolute on improving the safety of the motoring public with the goal of making a positive impact on tire safety without exposing the tire retailing industry to unnecessary liability. Legislating that improper repairs are illegal makes sense for the thousands of tire service providers and makes it that much more difficult for the minority to continue repairing tires outside the guidelines created by the industry. TIA plans on introducing the model tire repair legislation in its home state of Maryland.
“By making improper repairs illegal, the thousands of tire retailers who follow industry recommended practices will finally have definitive answers to the questions about why a tire cannot be repaired. They will refuse to install illegal repairs and advise their customers to be cautious when dealing with automotive service providers who are willing to illegally repair tires and endanger themselves and other motorists,” stated Kevin Rohlwing, TIA Senior Vice President of Training.