Business

Freight railroads could reap $340 million in cost savings after the Department of Transportation offered to ease the requirements to install technology to prevent head-on collisions, the agency announced.

American Trucking Associations has sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget asking that current truck driver hours-of-service rules remain in place, citing the trucking industry’s strong safety record.

Proposed regulations to change maximum truck driver hours and require electronic onboard recorders for almost all trucks are among the most costly rules currently being considered by the Obama administration, the president wrote in a letter.

President Obama hinted that a jobs plan to be unveiled Thursday will include infrastructure elements to repair and rebuild roads and bridges, in a bid to put people back to work and boost the economy, the Detroit News reported.

Rand McNally Co. said buyers of its IntelliRoute GPS devices will be eligible to participate in a lifetime map program.

We were disappointed to see the federal appellate court’s ruling overturning the requirement that some motor carriers install electronic recording devices to monitor drivers’ compliance with the hours-of-service rule.

The lackluster economy, combined with widespread weather troubles that delayed and reduced produce shipments, have sharply reduced refrigerated freight so far this year,  industry experts have said.

Trucking is attacking a federal regulation issued last month that will require employers to hang posters informing workers about their rights to form and join unions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is engaged in “aggressive research” on technological advances to prevent accidents and fatalities by boosting the safety of truck cabs.