Government

Put down your phone while driving, you will, or to the Dark Side it will lead.

The Federal Reserve System announced Dec. 16 a quarter-point increase in its benchmark target for interest rates, acting because “the risks to the outlook for both economic activity and the labor market" are balanced.

Proper maintenance saves fuel. That was the key finding in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s latest Trucking Efficiency Confidence Report covering maintenance, the group said in releasing the report.

A provision that would have authorized the use of twin 33-foot trailers nationwide did not make the final version of a large fiscal 2016 bill that would fund the federal government through September.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s bid to merge with Norfolk Southern Corp. has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers from Illinois, who sent a letter to regulators urging them to consider potential negative impacts on the Chicago rail hub.

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 644 on Dec. 11, leaving full congressional approval in the hands of the Senate just days before the expected adjournment for the year.

A day after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released its final rule on the use of electronic logs for all trucks built since 2000, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed suit against the agency.

The 225,000 people facing possible cuts in their retirement benefits are the most numerous and visible victims of the Central States Pension Fund troubles. But the fund's deep financial woes also have left hundreds of companies with large potential liabilities, essentially because they have survived where others failed.