Lawmakers have introduced legislation in the House and Senate that would allow cargo airline pilots to carry guns.

Three members of Maine's congressional delegation have introduced legislation that would allow heavier trucks to travel on Interstate 95 in order "to enhance safety, lower maintenance costs and promote economic development," according to Rep. Michael Michaud.

Caterpillar Inc., the nation’s largest maker of heavy-duty diesel engines, has paid $40 million in penalties for selling engines exceeding federal emission standards that went into effect last October, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

WASHINGTON — The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said they were jointly proposing to raise the federal tax on diesel and gasoline to help raise $75 billion to improve the nation’s highways and bridges.

President Bush said he intends to nominate Annette M. Sandberg to the administrator position of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, where she has been serving as acting administrator in recent months.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security, a massive new federal agency that President Bush requested in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, officially opened its doors last week, with transportation security one of its major missions.

Truck drivers who currently submit to different background check to gain access to ports, private terminals and distribution centers could soon face only one look at their past, said industry and government officials.

Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta returned to the Department of Transportation Friday afternoon to meet with employees, and was scheduled to return to work the week of Feb. 24, DOT spokesman Ben Langer said on Friday.

WASHINGTON — Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations, told the trucking federation's leadership last week that motor carriers could soon play a major role in ensuring the security of the nation's roads.

WASHINGTON — Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson said Feb. 12 that his department wants to ease congestion on critical freight transportation networks, particularly intermodal operations.