Safety
Transportation businesses face a host of dynamic risk issues that can significantly impact their financial and operational health. The news in this category focuses on the latest safety and security initiatives, resources and regulations and addresses topics that include fleet safety, claims administration, driver hiring and retention, risk management and compliance.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Legislators Agree on I-66 Proposal
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and key legislators from both parties and both chambers announced Feb. 10 that they have agreed on a plan to add a third lane to a 4-mile eastbound stretch of Interstate 66 from the Dulles Airport Connector Road to Arlington inside the Capital Beltway.
Daily Briefings from Transport Topics
Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.
Sleep Apnea Proposal Clears OMB
A plan by federal regulators to issue an advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding sleep apnea cleared a review by the White House Office of Management and Budget on Feb. 3.
New York Supreme Court Rules Tax and Decal Fee Unconstitutional
New York’s Supreme Court ruled Feb. 1 that the state’s highway-use tax and decal required of out-of-state truckers are unenforceable, awarding a victory to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in its class-action lawsuit.
Omnitracs Introduces Next-Gen Telematics Platform
DALLAS — Omnitracs has unveiled its next-generation telematics platform, which introduces voice recognition software to the company’s technology offerings while expanding wireless connectivity within the truck.
Drivers Form Human Chain to Rescue Trucker Dangling Over Embankment
When a tractor-trailer traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike 20 miles east of Bedford lost control and went partially over an embankment Jan. 22 during the historic winter blizzard, drivers stopped to help by forming a human chain and pulling the trucker to safety.
January 27, 2016Transport Topics Closed Jan. 25, 26 as Washington Digs Out From Blizzard
Arlington, Va.-based Transport Topics is closed Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 as Washington struggles to overcome the blizzard that blanketed parts of the Mid-Atlantic region with two feet of snow.
January 25, 2016Heavy-Truck Repair, Maintenance Costs Have Soared, But Prices for Common Parts Could Decline in ’16
The cost to repair and maintain heavy-duty trucks has surged in recent years, rising more than 50% since 2008, based on a study by the American Transportation Research Institute.
Port of Toledo Tonnage Falls 30% in 2015 as Commodities Slump
A slumping steel industry led to declines in several key commodities across the Port of Toledo’s docks last year that accounted for most of a nearly 30% plunge in cargo tonnage.
Truck-Crash Deaths Down
The rate and total number of fatalities involving trucks weighing at least 10,000 pounds declined in 2014 from the prior year, according to newly released federal data.
Minimal Mention of Transportation in Obama’s Final State of the Union
President Obama’s much-anticipated State of the Union Address on Jan. 12 focused little on infrastructure and freight transportation concerns, surprising stakeholders still praising last month’s enactment of a five-year highway law that had been six years in the making.