Government
Transport Topics government and regulatory coverage keeps managers of a highly-regulated industry aware of the policy decisions that can shape their businesses. Covering both the legislative and regulatory aspects of policy-making, at both the state and national levels, the news in this category includes looks at infrastructure, hours of service, emissions rules, funding measures, leadership appointments, and more. Readers can follow what’s happening in Congress, at the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and in state and local governments.
Connecticut’s Governor Promotes State’s Transportation Lockbox
Gov. Dannel Malloy, who is not seeking re-election in 2018, is promoting a lockbox concept approved in both the state Senate and House as the only guarantee that transportation funds will be set aside and protected for future use by his successor.
Oregon’s $5.3 Billion Transportation Plan Clears Final Hurdle
Oregon’s most ambitious highway upgrades in a generation won final approval from the Legislature on July 6.
House Funding Panel to Consider Transportation Bill July 11
Legislation that would keep the federal transportation agencies funded through fiscal 2018 will be considered on July 11, the House panel holding the hearing recently announced.
State DOTs Eye New US Infrastructure Grants
Several state transportation agencies are reviewing whether to proceed with a federal request to reapply for infrastructure grants that would rely significantly on private capital.
Trucking Jobs Dip by 1,400 in June
Trucking industry jobs declined by 1,400 in June as overall payrolls rose by 222,000, the Labor Department reported July 7.
July 7, 2017Californians Will Soon Pay More at the Pump to Fix More Than 200 Bridges
Under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in April, California motorists will start paying higher gas and diesel taxes in November to provide funding for, among other state transportation projects, reducing the backlog of road and bridge repairs.
Congress, Trump Administration Finalizing Guidelines for Automated Vehicles
New guidelines for manufacturers, transportation agencies, and industry executives on the development and deployment of automated technology will be unveiled as early as this fall on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Department of Transportation, lawmakers and senior administration officials announced recently.
Global Trade Rebounds Despite Trump’s Protectionist Threats
Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president sparked warnings of damaging trade wars and an end to globalization as we know it. So far, those predictions haven’t played out.
FMCSA Decides to Heed Advice of CSA Panel, Baffling Some Truckers
A decision by federal trucking regulators to adopt sweeping recommendations of an elite academic panel’s study assessing the way truckers are safety-rated has been mostly well received by the industry; yet some truckers admit they are a bit baffled by the complex “item response theory,” or IRT, approach to revamp the federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.
Infrastructure, Freight Agenda Still Not Advancing on Capitol Hill
As they approach the legislative calendar’s halfway point, Republicans have been unable to carve a path forward for President Donald Trump’s multiyear infrastructure funding plan, despite their control of the U.S. House and Senate.