[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 149 (Friday, October 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JIM JOHNSTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2015

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. 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 to be 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 across every Congressional district.
   There is no question that Jim and his organization strive daily to 
represent the best interests of truck drivers around the country. In 
fact, Jim leads a 22 member Board of Directors that has more than 800 
years of truck driving experience collectively, and a staff of 320 
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.
   Representing the interests of truck drivers has been Jim's life's 
work, and I can confidently say there is no one more dedicated to the 
cause. Throughout his career, he has worked with legislative, 
executive, and judicial branches of government, law enforcement 
agencies and other trucking and transportation organizations, all while 
serving 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, I think 
most would agree that the integrity and professionalism with which he 
conducts himself has endeared Jim to all of his colleagues and 
competitors.
   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 we wish him the best in his future 
endeavors.

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