Government

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.

The Federal Highway Administration has made $2 million in emergency relief funds available to the transportation departments in Oregon and Washington in the wake of the string of severe storms that began in the Pacific Northwest on Dec. 7.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week issued a proposed rule to upgrade U.S. standards for rear-impact guards that enhance truck and trailer underride protection, in an effort to reduce the severity of passenger vehicle crashes into the back of trailers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week announced its long-awaited final rule that will require carriers to use electronic logging devices to record drivers’ hours of service.

The nation’s fleet of Class 8 trucks in operation climbed 5% during the first nine months of the year to a record 3.93 million, IHS Automotive reported, driven in part by an 11% jump in registrations of new trucks in the third quarter.

The federal rule requiring carriers to use electronic logging devices will dramatically accelerate the industry’s adoption of onboard technology, resulting in a market where some carriers will focus only on basic compliance while others will look for additional features to improve efficiency, suppliers and analysts said.

Moscow residents are broadly supportive of protests by longhaul truckers over a new toll system in Russia, the Levada Center said.