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.
TCA Supports Fuel Tax Increase to Fund Highway Improvements
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Truckload Carriers Association has decided for the first time to support a fuel tax increase as a preferred method of highway funding.
March 16, 2009Diesel Declines 4.2¢ to $2.045; Gas Rises
The U.S. retail diesel fuel average dropped 4.2 cents last week to $2.045 a gallon, as the price in the Midwest fell below $2, the first time that has occurred anywhere in more than four years, the Department of Energy reported.
March 16, 2009Sabo Seeks to Expand Council’s Reach
The new chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, Steph Sabo, said that during his term, his top priority will be reaching out to segments of the trucking industry that aren’t familiar with the group in hopes of signing up new members.
March 16, 2009Critics Again Ask U.S. Court to Void Driver Hours Rule
For the third time in five years, a coalition of interest groups has asked a federal court to overturn the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rule governing the length of time truckers can drive and work.
March 16, 2009EPA Rule Would Track Emissions as First Step to Cap-and-Trade
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week took the first step toward creating a national cap-and-trade system, proposing a new rule that would establish a federal system for reporting carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases produced by large stationary and mobile sources.
March 16, 2009CARB Targets ‘Carbon Intensity’ of Fuels Used for Transportation
In its continued attack on greenhouse gas emissions, the California Air Resources Board recently proposed a rule cutting the “carbon intensity” of transportation fuels.
March 16, 2009ATA Files to Intervene on Hours-of-Service Rule
American Trucking Associations has filed a motion to intervene in the third legal challenge by the Teamsters union and three other groups to federal truck driver hours-of-service rules.
March 13, 2009Trimac’s 4Q Profit Improves
Canada-based transportation firm Trimac Income Fund said its fourth-quarter profit rose to C$3 million, or 11 cents per unit, from C$2.2 million, or 9 cents, a year ago.
March 13, 2009Opinion: Defending Spanish-Speaking Truckers
Hispanics have responded to the need of U.S. carriers for longhaul truck drivers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that in 2007, 23% of the estimated 1.6 million tractor-trailer drivers in the United States were Hispanic.
March 13, 2009Consumer Confidence Index Rises
U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly this month, but still remains near a 28-year low, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary monthly consumer sentiment index released Friday.
March 13, 2009