The House highways and transit subcommittee will hold a public hearing and a roundtable discussion to examine freight needs and the transportation authorization bill Congress is scheduled to write this year.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week published a proposal that would establish a national clearinghouse of drug and alcohol test results for truck drivers.

The House subcommittee on highways and transit will hold a hearing Jan. 28 to take testimony on “Improving the Effectiveness of the Federal Surface Transportation Safety Grant Programs.”

Public-private partnerships have gained ground in the debate over how to pay for roads and other infrastructure projects with the announcement of a special House panel to explore P3 issues and opportunities.

Navistar Inc. and Paccar Inc. said they are still in the process of earning final certifications for their 2014 truck and engine lineups in order to comply with the federal greenhouse-gas standards that take effect Jan. 1.

The U.S. General Services Administration may require the carrier that wins the federal government’s contract for domestic package deliveries to file regular reports on how it is reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions and using alternative fuels.

A special House panel on freight has suggested that Congress develop recommendations for how to create a dedicated fund for freight infrastructure projects before the current surface transportation authorization law expires in September 2014.

The House panel examining the state of freight transportation in the United States and how improving that could strengthen the nation’s economy will unveil its report Oct. 30 in Washington.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) was chosen as the next chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to succeed Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), making Shuster a central figure in the debate over the future of highway funding and investment in the nation’s infrastructure network.