Government

For several top North American container ports 2016 was a record-setting year, and industry analysts are cautiously optimistic that 2017 will be even better despite the uncertainty in Washington that comes with a new presidential administration.

Kansas City Southern reported lower profits in the fourth quarter and full calendar year 2016 compared with the same period of 2015, although the freight railroad was most hurt due to foreign exchange rate losses from its international business.

Ten applicants in nine states have been designated as proving grounds for automated vehicle testing, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Jan. 19.

Outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Jan. 19 that the Build America Bureau has received 195 applications requesting more than $7 billion in FASTLANE grants.

Senate Democrats envision agreeing with Republican leaders to proceed relatively soon with a floor vote that would confirm Elaine Chao, President-elect Donald Trump’s designee to manage the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Democrats’ leader told reporters Jan. 19.

On his final full day as Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Scott Darling said his biggest regret of his 2½ years in charge was not being able to fully implement the Unified Registration System.

Americans want a federal infrastructure program to focus on rebuilding aging roads and bridges, but are reluctant to use federal dollars for such projects, according to a Reuters poll released Jan. 19.

President-elect Donald Trump won’t wait for Congress to confirm trade officials to act on his promises to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and give notice he will renegotiate Nafta, press secretary Sean Spicer said.

Donald Trump recently called the so-called border adjustment in the House Republican tax-reform plan “too complicated.” He’s got that right: The proposal to incorporate border-tax adjustments into business taxes has created infighting among some usually tight industry associations.

The Department of Transportation is proposing to amend its pre-employment drug-testing program regulation to add testing for four heavily abused opioids — hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone and oxycodone — to its drug-testing panel.