Government

Electric vehicles, which have soundless engines, would need to make noises to let pedestrians know they are near, under a rule proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Bloomberg News reported.

Commercial drivers in Illinois are banned from using hand held cellphones while driving, as of this month, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.

A group of shippers, brokers and small motor carriers told a federal court that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new carrier safety ratings are “confusing, ever-changing, mercurial and capricious in their effects on carriers.”

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has approved a law that prevents trucking companies from being held responsible for accidents, negligence or other damage that is a shipper’s fault.

Lost amid the hoopla surrounding Congress’ last-minute agreement on avoiding the economic “fiscal cliff” as the new year dawned was a provision in the deal that could help the trucking industry as it moves to replace aging equipment during 2013.

Used-truck sales slumped in late 2012, but last week’s “fiscal cliff” agreement created hope that a catch-up effect could buoy sales, industry officials said.

Lisa Jackson will step down soon as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after four years that included the development of the first greenhouse-gas standards for heavy-duty trucks.

An index of the U.S. economy’s service sector increased in December to a 10-month high, the Institute for Supply Management said Friday.

The 113th session of the U.S. Congress started at noon Thursday, with party dynamics staying unchanged from the last session, and some new leadership in transportation-related committees.