WASHINGTON — If the prevailing wisdom seems to be in favor of getting on with repairing old and building new U.S. infrastructure, why does the nation seem to be in a state of inertia in getting the job done?

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The trouble with brakes is that so many things can go wrong. That was one of the takeaways from the first day of a two-day Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance brake symposium aiming to educate motor carriers, commercial vehicle inspectors and technicians on the latest advances and challenges in keeping brakes in good working order.

Driven by increases in cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, drug use in 2017 by the general U.S. workforce held steady at its highest rate in more than a decade, according to an analysis by drug test lab Quest Diagnostics.

U.S. 93 out of Las Vegas is among the most dangerous and congested routes for some drivers.

A new federal rule due for implementation in June that would eliminate the need for truck drivers to carry their medical cards has been delayed for three years due to a hack of the registry of certified medical examiners in December.

The Federal Highway Administration has notified state transportation officials and private truck stop operators that it is drawing plans to update the 2014 nationwide “Jason’s Law” survey that assessed the availability of truck driver parking.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have written three letters to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt asking him to reconsider his proposal to repeal an Obama administration regulation that would limit the number of glider kits manufactured each year.

North Carolina motor carriers are being slapped with a 14.61% surcharge on their liability insurance policies to plug a $96 million shortfall in the state’s insurance risk pool.

California environmental regulators are scheduled next month to consider changes that would toughen state standards on smoke opacity as well as require motor carriers with two or more trucks to report to the agency the results from an annual smoke self-test.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has assigned severity weights to each of about a dozen electronic logging device-related violations that are being recorded on a driver’s or motor carrier’s safety profile score.