Government
Transport Topics government and regulatory coverage keeps managers of a highly-regulated industry aware of the policy decisions that can shape their businesses. Covering both the legislative and regulatory aspects of policy-making, at both the state and national levels, the news in this category includes looks at infrastructure, hours of service, emissions rules, funding measures, leadership appointments, and more. Readers can follow what’s happening in Congress, at the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and in state and local governments.
Employers Added 528,000 Jobs in July
WASHINGTON — America’s hiring boom continued last month as employers added a surprising 528,000 jobs despite raging inflation and rising anxiety about a recession.
Senate Votes to Overturn Biden Environmental Rule
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Aug. 4 voted to overturn a Biden administration rule requiring rigorous environmental review of major infrastructure projects such as highways, pipelines and oil wells.
ATA’s Chris Spear Optimistic About Trucking Economy, R.I. Tolling Verdict
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said the trucking industry continues to show resilience despite challenges in the U.S. economy, marked by two straight quarters of negative gross domestic product and interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve that aim to slow decades-high rates of inflation.
August 4, 2022Senate Debates Freight-Centered Budget Bill
Legislation that aims to reduce emissions at commercial ports and freight corridors is topping Senate Democrats’ legislative priorities ahead of the upcoming congressional summer recess.
FMCSA Nominee Robin Hutcheson Awaits Senate Confirmation
President Joe Biden’s pick to oversee federal trucking regulations is awaiting a confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate.
NOAA Still Expects Active Hurricane Season
It’s been a quiet hurricane season so far, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a busy peak is ahead. The agency expects 14 to 20 named storms, with six to 10 developing into hurricanes and three to five of those strengthening into major storms of Category 3 and up.
FMCSA Awards Educational Funds for Veterans, Others to Get CDLs
To help veterans, spouses and active duty military members gain truck driving jobs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration awarded $3.1 million in grants to 19 community colleges and truck driving schools throughout the country.
OPEC+ Boosts Oil Output by Slower Pace Than Previous Months
The OPEC oil cartel and its allies decided Aug. 3 to boost production in September by a much slower pace than in previous months at a time of high gasoline prices and unstable energy supplies exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Automakers Blitz Congress to Fix an EV Tax Credit They Can’t Use
Automakers including Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are making a last-ditch lobbying push to change Democrats’ proposed new spending bill over concern that they stand to lose out from strict new limits on electric vehicle credits.
Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip Spurs CATL to Pause EV Battery Plant Plans
A giant Chinese supplier of electric vehicle batteries decided to push back announcing a multibillion-dollar North American plant to supply Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. due to tensions raised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter.
August 2, 2022