Safety

WASHINGTON — A key House subcommittee last week approved the framework for a new six-year surface transportation plan proposed by transportation committee leaders.

Ryder System said it has been certified as a third-party logistics provider in the Custom-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, an initiative that seeks to promote supply chain security and reduce border vulnerabilities.

At one time or another, every business finds itself undercapitalized. Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, qualifying for a line of credit can be extremely difficult. As a result, increasing numbers of transportation companies are looking into factoring, with many of them taking the plunge and selling their accounts receivable to a factor.

The American Transportation Research Institute has updated its listing of state and local idling regulations, noting that 41 states and localities now have idling regulations.

American Trucking Associations Monday called on Congress to increase the transparency of commodities futures markets and impose “reasonable aggregate position limits on energy commodities,” in an effort to stem the price spikes and record high prices of last summer.

The Department of Transportation is preparing to issue its long-delayed rule that would slice the stopping distance for large trucks by as much as 30%.

Heavy-duty U.S. truck sales continued their severe slide into a fifth month, as retail volume fell 39% in May, while the year-to-date total now lags the pace of last year by 33.9%, according to WardsAuto.com.

Several truck and engine manufacturers who plan to use selective catalytic reduction technology to meet 2010 emission standards have denied allegations by Navistar Inc. and have asked a federal appeals court to give them standing to argue against Navistar’s lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.