[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 146 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING JIM JOHNSTON FOR HIS LEADERSHIP ON ISSUES RELATED TO SMALL 
                      BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2015

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Jim Johnston 
of Grain Valley, MO. This October, Jim will be completing his eighth 
term and fourth decade as the President of the Owner-Operator 
Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), an organization that formed to 
give owner-operators and drivers a voice where they previously had 
none. Jim is widely considered a national leader on all issues 
affecting small business trucking professionals and professional truck 
drivers.
   It is hard to believe that OOIDA began in an office trailer chained 
to a light pole at a truck stop in Grain Valley. Under Jim's 
leadership, it is now the largest organization of small business 
trucking professionals and professional truck drivers in the country, 
with more than 155,000 members nationwide. OOIDA has members in every 
state and every Congressional district.
   There is no single person or organization that is more capable of 
representing the interests of truck drivers. In fact, Jim leads a 
twenty-two member Board of Directors that collectively has more than 
eight-hundred years of truck driving experience, and a staff of three-
hundred twenty OOIDA employees, many of whom were truck drivers 
themselves. Needless to say, Jim is an invaluable resource on trucking 
and transportation issues to those fortunate enough to work with him.
   To say that Jim is a tireless advocate representing the interests of 
truck drivers is an understatement; it has been his life's work and 
there is nobody more dedicated to the cause. Throughout his career, he 
has worked with legislative, executive, and judicial branches of 
government, law enforcement agencies, other trucking and transportation 
organizations, and he has served on numerous commissions and advisory 
boards. His mission is simple: fight for the rights of all professional 
truck drivers. While some of his colleagues might say that he is a 
fierce adversary--perhaps another understatement--I think most people 
would agree that he conducts himself with integrity and the utmost 
professionalism.
   Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to work with Jim and his team at 
OOIDA. I would ask all of my colleagues to join me in commending Mr. 
Jim Johnston for his lifelong dedication to the members of OOIDA and 
the trucking industry and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

                          ____________________