Defense Bill Would Prioritize Restroom Access for Truckers
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When Congress resumes its legislative calendar after the August recess, lawmakers will consider comprehensive defense policy legislation linked to the trucking sector.
The House and Senate are expected to schedule floor consideration as early as September on the annual defense authorization legislation, which would detail next year’s priorities for the Pentagon and the nation’s military operations.
The bicameral versions of the National Defense Authorization Act would boost military pay, implement health care upgrades and aim to enhance military readiness. Tucked in the House bill is a provision that would ensure truckers working with proper security credentials have access to restroom facilities within close proximity of their assignments.
The NDAA would require that a driver “providing a transportation protective service involving the transport of sensitive cargo to or from the covered location on behalf of the Department of Defense, is authorized access” to restroom facilities.
House lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this year taking aim at the broader issue of restroom access. American Trucking Associations has championed such access in the workplace. ATA President Chris Spear reminded senators in July about the importance of accommodating the needs of the freight workforce.
“Truck drivers are the heartbeat of our economy and critical to supply chain continuity. When they stop for pickups or deliveries — which can take hours on end while the truck waits to be loaded or unloaded — drivers should have access to restroom facilities,” Spear told the Senate Commerce Committee. “Such basic accommodations are more than just common courtesy; this is about ensuring the dignity of drivers and supporting the men and women who do the heavy lifting to provide for everyone in this country. Guaranteeing restroom access would address a major barrier to retaining and recruiting more truck drivers, particularly women.”
The NDAA also proposes security upgrades for trucks at military bases as well as after-action reviews and best-practices examination of commercial surface and air freight programs and operations.
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Addressing the bill’s big-picture objectives, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on July 15 explained, “The [fiscal 2026] NDAA supports modernization and fundamentally reforms defense acquisition by cutting red tape, eliminating bureaucratic hurdles and encouraging innovation.”
“It refocuses acquisition on its most important mission: getting our warfighters what they need when they need it,” Rogers went on. “This legislation builds on the wins from the One Big, Beautiful [tax and budget] Bill — revitalizing our defense industrial base, improving our service members’ quality of life and building out our readiness capabilities.”
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Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, added, “This year’s bill fundamentally reforms the Defense Acquisition System to cut through red tape and deliver capabilities to service members as quickly and effectively as possible so they can respond to rapidly evolving scenarios.”
“The bill as passed out of committee ensures service members and their families remain among our core priorities. It also authorizes critically needed investment in America’s industrial base so we can get to capacity in terms of critical munitions and other critical technologies,” Smith added.
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Describing his NDAA version as bipartisan, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on July 11 said, “My colleagues and I have prioritized reindustrialization and the structural rebuilding of the arsenal of democracy. Accordingly, we have set forth historic reforms to modernize the Pentagon’s budgeting and acquisition operations.”
The NDAA on Capitol Hill is considered must-pass legislation specific to compensation and health care benefits for military personnel. Every year, the bipartisan NDAA is cleared by Congress for enactment.
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