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March 17, 2000 11:55 AM, EST

Meals eaten on the road could be cheaper come January if tax legislation passed by the House is enacted.

Trucking interests applauded a March 9 vote by the House of Representatives to restore the 80% tax deduction for meals eaten by truck drivers while on the road, but warned of high hurdles ahead. To go into effect, the bill must still garner approval from both a majority of the Senate and President Clinton.

Congress is not addressing the matter as a solitary issue. The tax break was included in legislation that would increase the minimum wage by a dollar to $6.15 an hour over the next two years. It passed by a vote of 257-169.

“This has been truckload’s No. 1 issue for the past three or four years,” said Mac McCormick, president of Best Way Express in Vincennes, Ind.

For the full story, see the Mar. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. .