Stakeholders in the transportation sector are asking congressional leaders to suspend a tax on the purchase of new trucks as part of a pandemic-related economic aid measure. Trade groups including the American Truck Dealers and American Trucking Associations are asking for the suspension to last through 2021. They say the 12% excise tax potentially adds $12,000 to $20,000 to the cost of new trucks and trailers. The groups also say suspending the tax, first imposed in 1917 as a way to help pay for World War I, would spark the purchase of new equipment and thus help trucking companies modernize their fleets.