Government
Transport Topics government and regulatory coverage keeps managers of a highly-regulated industry aware of the policy decisions that can shape their businesses. Covering both the legislative and regulatory aspects of policy-making, at both the state and national levels, the news in this category includes looks at infrastructure, hours of service, emissions rules, funding measures, leadership appointments, and more. Readers can follow what’s happening in Congress, at the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and in state and local governments.
Editorial: Keep HOS Working
American Trucking Associations has filed suit against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s latest attempt to modify the hours-of-service rule because it believes it had no other way to prevent a serious mistake on the part of the very agency that is charged with improving safety by and for the motor carrier industry.
July 30, 2012FMCSA Outlines Plans to Study Safety Scores, Based on Truck-Involved Crash Responsibility
Four months after delaying a planned rollout of a system that would assign safety scores for truck crashes based on a carrier’s responsibility, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will spend the next year studying how it could implement such a program and whether it would be worth the $3 million it could cost annually.
July 30, 2012Consumer Confidence Drops to Lowest Level This Year
Consumer confidence dropped in July to the lowest level this year, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.
July 27, 2012U.S. Economy Grows at 1.5% Pace in Second Quarter
The U.S. economy grew at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter as consumers trimmed spending, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
July 27, 2012FMCSA to Publish Crash Accountability Results Next Year
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will research how it could assign blame for truck crashes based on a carrier’s fault, and publish the results of its study in summer 2013, the agency said Monday.
Finding Ways to Reduce Idling Can Be Challenging for Carriers
For carriers, the effort to find the best nonidling cooling option for the truck cab has not been without starts and stops.
July 23, 2012Congressman Vows to Battle EOBR Mandate as ‘Catastrophic’ Burden on Small Businesses
If an amendment to block funding for an electronic onboard recorder mandate does not make it into law, its main sponsor, Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), said he is prepared to do whatever he can to stop the federal government from mandating such devices.
July 23, 2012Michigan Voters May Consider Bridge Crossing
A committee created by the owners of the Ambassador Bridge turned in just over 600,000 signatures, almost twice the number needed for a ballot initiative that would allow Michigan voters to approve or reject a new, competing bridge crossing.
Opinion: Made in America . . . Once
When I hear the current challenger for the presidency of the United States talk about job creation, I think back to one night in November 2005 when I was on the road and listening to a nationally broadcast radio talk show.
July 23, 2012Editorial: Mandating Logging Devices
Yes, American Trucking Associations is a staunch supporter of the federal mandate requiring electronic logging devices to monitor hours-of-service compliance for the nation’s truck drivers.
July 23, 2012