FMCSA Committee Takes Early Steps on Entry-Level Driver Training
WASHINGTON — Members of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration committee took several limited steps toward creating a rule on training standards for entry-level truck drivers.
March 20, 2015Bills Introduced to Allow Hair Testing to Replace Urinalysis for Drug Use
Long-sought legislation among many in the trucking and safety communities to allow carriers to use hair testing in place of urinalysis to detect drug use in drivers was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate March 19.
March 19, 2015House Bill Would Create Freight Trust Fund Supported by Waybill Fee
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill to create a freight transportation infrastructure trust fund supported by a 1% waybill fee on the cost of moving goods.
March 19, 2015Secretary Anthony Foxx, Rep. Bill Shuster: Gas Tax Increase Unlikely This Year
WASHINGTON — Two of the country’s top transportation leaders reaffirmed their opposition to raising fuel taxes to keep highway programs funded for several years, a setback for proponents of increasing the user fees, including trucking industry leaders.
March 19, 2015Senators Seek Permitting Reforms For Rail Projects
Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) have introduced the Track, Railroad, and Infrastructure Network (TRAIN) Act, which they said would streamline the environmental permitting process for rail projects.
March 19, 2015Trucking’s Share of Nafta Trade Rose 4.5% Last Year
Trucks carried the largest amount of trade among North American Free Trade Partners last year, with trucking trade rising 4.5% from 2013 to $715 billion, the Department of Transportation reported.
March 18, 2015Legislation Aims to Boost Transportation Funds at Local Level
Local governments would be able to access more federal funds under a bipartisan bill unveiled this week in the Senate.
March 18, 2015State Officials Plead for Continued Federal Role in Transportation
WASHINGTON — State and local officials made the case before a House panel for federal transportation funding and against any notion the states alone can maintain the nation’s road and transit system.
March 17, 2015House Budget Expands States’ Say on Transportation
House Republicans’ budget blueprint unveiled March 17 would enhance states’ control over critical highway projects, and it would establish a reserve fund to develop proposals for bringing surface-transportation legislation to passage.
March 17, 2015Arkansas Lawmakers Approve Liability Protection for Truckers
Arkansas is poised to become the 42nd state to pass a law protecting truckers from having to sign contracts that require them to assume all liability for accidents regardless of who is to blame.
March 17, 2015