In his annual State of the Industry Address, American Trucking Associations president and CEO Bill Graves said that, despite the prevailing political and economic uncertainty in the country, the U.S. and the trucking industry are poised to see good days ahead.

Despite frustration with Washington’s inability to come together on seemingly simple tasks like the need to fix roads and bridges and pass a highway bill, Graves says he is still optimistic about the economy and trucking’s future.

Even with many consumers and businesses “on the sidelines” due to economic uncertainty, Graves says there “is an inviting, long road ahead for trucking.”

“During this time of economic uncertainty, it’s easy to misjudge the opportunity that’s on the trucking industry’s horizon,” Graves says. “The economy will recover. And when it does, the trucking industry is going to be one of the ‘first in line’ beneficiaries.”