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.
Texas DOT Begins Looking at Axing Tolls
The Texas Department of Transportation is beginning a legislatively mandated look at what it would cost to eliminate toll roads in the state, the agency’s new executive director said.
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Transportation Bills Lack Traction With Idaho Legislature
Idaho senators apparently have no appetite for transportation funding proposals this session.
Amazon Expands Deliveries by Its 'On-Demand' Drivers
SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon.com Inc. is quietly inviting drivers for its new "on-demand" delivery service to handle its standard packages, as the online retailer known for low prices and razor-thin profit margins looks to speed up delivery times and tamp down its growing multibillion-dollar logistics bill.
Traffic Deaths Jump by Most Since 1966, Safety Group Says
Traffic fatalities increased in 2015 by an amount not seen in 50 years, alarming road safety advocates. The trend in Texas, which has the deadliest highways in the country, remained largely unchanged.
Biden Calls for Increased Transportation Infrastructure Investment
Vice President Joe Biden called for greater public investment in transportation infrastructure during a Feb. 17 visit to a logistics yard east of Memphis, Tennessee.
N.Y. State Senator, UPS Oppose Rail Merger
New York State Sen. Kathleen Marchione and UPS Inc. are among those who are opposing the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Norfolk Southern Corp., according to letters on file with the Surface Transportation Board.
Pennsylvania Facing Transportation Funding Shortfall
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Leslie Richards dropped a bit of a bombshell on the state’s transportation world when she announced that her department was facing a shortfall of at least $6 billion.
Lawmakers to Look at Legislation to Fix Hours-of-Service Rule ‘Glitch’
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will look at legislation that would provide a short-term authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration to attach technical language pertaining to an hours-of-service rule for truckers in a fiscal 2016 funding law.
Maryland Democrats Have Plan to Restrict Governor on Transportation Decisions
The Democratic leaders of Maryland's General Assembly want to restrict the governor's power to decide what transportation projects to fund.
Rhode Island Truck-Toll Plan Still Needs FHWA Approval
Even though Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo signed RhodeWorks into law on Feb. 11, her trucks-only tolling plan still needs to be approved by the Federal Highway Administration before it can roll smoothly toward a projected opening of the 14 tolling gantries in 18 to 24 months.