Traffic Costs Industry $49.6 Billion During 2014, ATRI Study Shows
Traffic congestion on the nation’s highways added more than $49.6 billion in operational costs for the trucking industry in 2014, according to a study released April 19 by the American Transportation Research Institute.
April 25, 2016Four Families Settle Georgia Truck Accident Lawsuits
Total Transportation of Mississippi, the employer of a tractor-trailer driver blamed for a fiery interstate crash that killed five Georgia nursing students, has agreed to settle multiple wrongful death lawsuits for large sums, with at least one victim’s family receiving $14 million, attorneys in the case said April 20.
April 22, 2016Mack Unveils 2017 Powertrain
AUSTIN, Texas — Mack Trucks celebrated Earth Day here by rolling out its 2017 powertrain designed to meet the second part of Phase 1 federal greenhouse-gas limits that start in January, including new technologies for its MP7 and MP8 engines.
April 22, 2016Senate Panel Approves DOT Issuing Speed Limiters Proposal in Fiscal 2017 Transportation Bill
WASHINGTON — Legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance a proposal on speed limiters for trucks was approved by a Senate panel April 21.
April 21, 2016Capitol Agenda for the Week of April 19: Addition by Appropriations?
Trucking leaders have been pressing Congress to adopt a meal-and-rest-break proposal, as well as corrective language to an hours-of-service provision in a fiscal 2016 funding law. This week, Senate funding leaders might be listening. Here's the week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill.
April 19, 2016Cass Freight Index Dips 1.5% in March from 2015 Level
Cass Information Systems’ freight index, based primarily on trucking, dipped 1.5% in March on a year-over-year basis, but gained 1.4% from February of this year.
April 18, 2016US Needs to Be Energy Independent
I read Transport Topics regarding Exxon Mobil’s recent shipment of its first tanker load of U.S. crude oil from Beaumont, Texas, to its refinery in Sicily, Italy. The article also indicated that a 40-year export ban had been lifted.
April 18, 2016The ELD Mandate's Carrot and Stick
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration finally released the long-awaited electronic logging device mandate’s final rule in December. The rule states that motor carriers without a current solution in place now have until December 2017 to implement ELDs for any vehicle or combination of vehicles with an actual weight and/or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001 pounds or more. The rule is meant to improve compliance with hours-of-service safety rules.
April 18, 2016Congressional Capacity
As expected, 2016 has been a slow year on Capitol Hill, especially when it comes to transportation.
April 18, 2016Industry: Training Proposal to Worsen Driver Shortage
Many in the trucking industry say the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed entry-level driver training rule has the potential to exacerbate the nation’s driver shortage. The rule requires that students log at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training time.
April 18, 2016