Government

Commercial motor vehicle officers reported that 13.2% of trucks and buses examined were placed out of service for brake violations during a weeklong law-enforcement operation, compared with OOS rates of 12.3% last year and 16.2% in 2014.

The upset in the presidential election was understandably the biggest news Nov. 8, but plenty of change also is coming for the leadership of transportation legislative committees in the 50 states.

Louisiana's transportation chief said Nov. 17 that taxpayers will experience "sticker shock" when they see how much money is needed to improve roads and bridges, possibly about $700 million per year.

The Obama administration’s record on environmental and public health will be the focus of EPA chief Gina McCarthy's talk at the National Press Club on Nov. 21.

Before leaving town for Thanksgiving, House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirmed his stance that federal regulators relax their rulemaking until the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

The White House Office of Management and Budget on Nov. 15 completed its review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s final rule on entry-level driver training, the final stage before being published in the Federal Register.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., which ensures that retirees receive benefits even if their pensions become insolvent, reported that its multiemployer plan deficit grew to $58.8 billion in fiscal year 2016 and will likely run out of money before the end of 2025, the government agency announced.

Sentiment among American consumers increased in the week after the presidential election to reach the highest level since April 2015 on more upbeat views about the economy, figures from the weekly Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index showed Nov 17.

New Jersey’s bond rating was downgraded from “A” to “A-“ on Nov. 14 by S&P Global Ratings in the wake of the state’s massive fuel tax hike that became law last month.