Fighting against economic re-regulation and for approval of the sale of Conrail, railroads far outspent trucking on lobbying in 1998, according to a report by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Proposals to create a federal Motor Carrier Administration were introduced in both houses of Congress amid a flurry of legislation to improve truck and bus safety.

Fighting against economic re-regulation and for approval of the sale of Conrail, railroads far outspent trucking on lobbying in 1998, according to a new report.

A new Department of Transportation proposal reportedly cuts on-duty hours for truckers, and the American Trucking Associations want the research behind the proposal made public.

The move to create a federal motor carrier administration picked up momentum Wednesday when a House subcommittee unanimously approved truck and bus safety legislation.

The Senate debated a Republican-sponsored $792 billion tax cut bill last week that would speed up restoration of the 80% tax deduction for meals eaten by truckers on the road and reduce the estate tax.

A budding express freight delivery service that competes with truckload carriers holds promise of becoming a profit center for Amtrak and helping to supplement the cost of running its passenger rail services, according to a federal report.

The Department of Transportation is preparing to unveil a sweeping surface transportation safety bill that would require carriers to install and use on-board recorders or global position satellite devices to monitor driver compliance with hours of service.

Don’t expect Congress to reauthorize either the Federal Railroad Administration or the Surface Transportation Board any time soon. That’s the word from a key congressional aide.

The Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety started its latest round of driver fatigue training July 29 in Portland, Ore., with a seminar for safety and risk managers, truck driving school instructors and trucking company driver trainers.