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.
Hillary Clinton Declines to Say Where She Stands on Keystone XL
Hillary Clinton declined to weigh in on the Obama administration’s ongoing deliberations over the Keystone XL oil pipeline July 27, avoiding an issue that has become a litmus test for climate activists.
TT Podcasts: RoadSigns
Volvo's Chayene de Souza and Magnus Gustafson discuss how new, connected trucks can boost business, enhance safety practices, and reinforce preventative maintenance plans.
Groups Say Road Funding Threatened by Proposal on Ground Ozone Limit
WASHINGTON — A small change in the limit for ground-level ozone emissions could lead to wide-scale noncompliance of environmental rules and could lead to the federal government’s yanking funding commitments for infrastructure projects, business groups said.
Rail Shippers Seek New Rules to Promote Rate Competition
Shipper groups last week urged the Surface Transportation Board to create new rules that could foster lower rail prices through competitive switching or rate caps, now that carriers have become profitable enough to absorb a slight revenue decline.
TT Archives: Truck Weight Bill
In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed into law a bill allowing states to permit higher truck weights on interstate highways, and it’s worth remembering the reason for the measure – a national speed limit of 55 miles-per-hour had crimped productivity for the nation’s truck drivers.
July 27, 2015Senate Paves Way for Ex-Im Reauthorization in Highway Bill; Final Passage Likely This Week
Senators reported to work on a rare Sunday session to agree to allow consideration of the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank as part of the chamber’s consideration of a six-year highway policy measure.
ASCE Report Identifies Trends in Modernizing US Infrastructure
The American Society of Civil Engineers has released a report describing new trends in energy, water, freight and transportation that are modernizing U.S. infrastructure.
Sen. Roger Wicker Pushes Twin 33 Amendment as Republican Leaders Tout Long-Term Bill
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on July 23 called on Senate colleagues to support his proposal to attach to a six-year highway bill a requirement calling for a comprehensive review of twin 33-foot trailers before they are authorized for use nationwide.
July 23, 2015CVSA: Unannounced Brake Inspection Shows Maintenance Improvement
U.S. and Canadian trucks and buses improved their safety performance during a May inspection push compared with a similar event in 2014, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reported.
July 23, 2015Federal Government Sets Listening Session for New VIUS
The Department of Transportation and other parts of the federal government are considering bringing back the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey, or VIUS, that was a major source of transportation data through 2002.
July 23, 2015Consumer Confidence Declines to Lowest Level in Five Weeks
Consumer confidence declined to a five-week low as Americans grew even more downbeat about the prospects for the economy.