Diesel engine manufacturers told federal officials they cannot meet an Oct. 1, 2002, deadline to produce cleaner-burning engines as agreed to in a 1998 consent decree.

Diesel engine manufacturers told federal officials they cannot meet an Oct. 1, 2002, deadline to produce cleaner-burning engines as agreed to in a 1998 consent decree.

Revisions in the hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers are unlikely to be finalized by year-end, a congressional panel was told last week.

A July 7 hearing on the economic impact of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s proposed workplace safety rules for railroads, state and local governments and the U.S. Postal Service originally set for Washington, D.C., has been moved to Atlanta on the same date.

Safety advocates — as well as survivors of truck-related accidents and relatives of victims — urged Congress to reduce the amount of time truck drivers could spend behind the wheel.

In trying to agree on a transportation spending bill for fiscal 2001, selected Senate and House members must also decide whether to put a clamp on the Department of Transportation’s hours-of-service rulemaking.

FMCSA interim chief Clyde J. Hart told a congressional panel last week that revisions in the hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers are unlikely to be finalized by year-end.

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa stopped short of endorsing Ralph Nader for President on June 23, but said the consumer advocate and Green Party candidate understands “the issues important to working American families.”

Major oil refiners testified June 15 that the new, reduced-sulfur standard of 15 parts per million for diesel fuel could shrink production for several years and keep prices high for trucking.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is under Senate scrutiny for paying 28 contractors $10,000 each to testify at public hearings in support of the proposed workplace safety rules.