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.
Connecticut Legislature Going Overtime to Approve Budget
Knowing that they wouldn’t be able to approve a budget before the midnight May 4 deadline despite reaching a tentative, $19.75 billion agreement with Gov. Dannel Malloy the previous day, Connecticut lawmakers voted to schedule special sessions to do so.
May 5, 2016Daily 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.
FMCSA Seeks Public Input on Vision Waiver Requests
Federal trucking regulators on May 2 announced they are seeking public input on the applications of 21 drivers with vision impairments who are requesting waivers to drive commercial trucks.
May 4, 2016Service Industries Gauge Climbs to Four-Month High
Service companies expanded in April at the fastest pace in four months, signaling the U.S. economy is firming up after a weak start to the year.
Sen. Deb Fischer Criticizes FMCSA’s Regulatory Process
The chairwoman of the subcommittee on trucking issues in the U.S. Senate criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 2 for its safety performance scoring program and the manner in which the agency crafts its regulations.
Portland, Ore., to Consider Truck-Only Tax
The City Council in Portland, Oregon, will consider a four-year, heavy-vehicle use tax when it meets May 4, with a vote likely to come the following week. The tax would add 2.8% to the tax bills of trucking firms that have a Portland business license. Trucks already pay a weight-mile tax in Oregon, which doesn’t have a diesel fuel tax.
Alabama Won’t Raise Fuel Taxes After All
Less than three weeks after seeming poised to approve a fuel-tax increase for the first time since 1992, Alabama has joined Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi and West Virginia and did not do so during its legislative session this year.
Customs and Border Protection to Announce Prepayment Pilot Program
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to announce a pilot program that would allow truckers to prepay for single-crossing access to ports of entry.
May 2, 2016Iowa Lawmakers Cut $4.85 Million From DOT Budget, Half of Original Target
After threatening to slash $9.7 million from the Iowa Department of Transportation’s operating budget, the state’s Legislature voted April 29 to slice that figure in half to $4.85 million before adjourning for the year.
China's Bold Gambit to Cement Trade With Europe — Along the Ancient Silk Road
From his office on a bend of the Rhine River, freight terminal boss Bernd Putens can see — and hear — the early stirrings of what China calls the New Silk Road.
Letters: Regulatory Policies, Driver Commendation, HOS, Fatigue
This week's letters address traffic, a driver commendation, HOS policy and driver fatigue.
May 2, 2016