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.
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.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Proposes Slashing N.Y. Truck Registration, Decal Fees
In the wake of the Jan. 22 ruling by New York’s Supreme Court that the state's highway user registration and decal fees for trucks were unconstitutional, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Feb. 12 offered an amendment to his proposed budget that drops those fees from a combined $19 to $1.50.
Mike Joyce Named ATA’s Top Legislative Advocate
Mike Joyce, announced on Feb. 16 as American Trucking Associations’ senior vice president of legislative affairs, brings a range of experience to his new position. Joyce has spent all but two of the 22-plus years since his graduation from Gettysburg College working for members of Congress or as a lobbyist for trucking concerns.
R.I. Gov. Signs Truck-Toll Plan; Industry Threatens Legal Action
The Rhode Island Senate took less than three hours Feb. 11 to approve Gov. Gina Raimondo’s RhodeWorks proposal, which includes truck-only tolls, one day after the House of Representatives debated the issue seven hours before signing off on the measure.
NTSB Rips FMCSA on Crash
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was publicly criticized by the National Transportation Safety Board for “inadequate safety oversight of high-risk carriers” after an investigation of a fatal crash in Illinois in which fatigue was blamed.
Rhode Island Approves Truck Tolling Plan
The Rhode Island Senate approved Gov. Gina Raimondo's RhodeWorks proposal by a 25-12 vote Feb. 11, authorizing toll collection on heavy-duty tractor-trailers to fund bridge repairs in the state. Shortly thereafter, Raimondo signed the bill into law.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Legislators Agree on I-66 Proposal
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and key legislators from both parties and both chambers announced Feb. 10 that they have agreed on a plan to add a third lane to a 4-mile eastbound stretch of Interstate 66 from the Dulles Airport Connector Road to Arlington inside the Capital Beltway.
NTSB Faults Drivers, Carriers, FMCSA for Roles in Fatal Illinois Crash
The National Transportation Safety Board blasted both “high-risk” motor carriers involved in a 2014 fatal crash in Naperville, Illinois, as well as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for failing to prevent them from operating, at a hearing in Washington on Feb. 9.
Feud Over Toll Plan Rages
The war of words between Rhode Island officials and the state’s trucking association over Gov. Gina Raimondo’s truck-only tolling infrastructure plan just keeps boiling.