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.
Feds Eye New Hazmat Carrier Regs
Federal regulators plan to offer a new regulation early next year that will prohibit flammable liquids from being transported in unprotected product piping on existing and newly manufactured cargo tank trucks.
October 20, 2009Housing Starts Rise 0.5% in September
Housing starts rose 0.5% in September, while building permits declined, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
October 20, 2009Producer Price Index Falls in September
Prices paid to U.S. producers fell 0.6% in September, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
October 20, 2009N.Y. Governor Wants to Regulate GPS Use in Trucking
New York Gov. David Paterson (D) is calling for a state law that would require truckers using global positioning system devices to use only ones containing truck route information.
October 20, 2009Diesel Jumps a Dime to $2.705
Diesel fuel’s national average price jumped 10.5 cents to $2.705 a gallon, its highest price since November, the Department of Energy said Monday.
October 20, 2009J.B. Hunt’s 3Q Income Declines
Truckload carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services said its third-quarter net income fell to $40 million, or 31 cents per share, from $60.3 million, or 47 cents, a year earlier.
October 19, 2009New FHWA Chief to Look at Big-Picture Transport Issues
Once the economy recovers and freight traffic begins to grow again, the nation needs to look at broad transportation issues that address everything from funding to livability, newly appointed Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said.
October 19, 2009DOT Sets $21 Million for Hazmat First Responders
The Department of Transportation said Monday it was handing out $20.9 million to states to help train first responders dealing with hazardous materials incidents.
October 19, 2009EPA Says Clean Diesel Efforts Are Working
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last week its clean diesel efforts have produced $500 million to $1.4 billion in public health benefits.
Opinion: Intermodal Isn’t ‘Greener’ Than Trucks
You can’t watch television these days without hearing some railroad company advertising the “green” benefits of moving freight from the road to rail. The most often heard is the claim by one major railroad that “one ton of freight can be moved 436 miles on one gallon of fuel.”
October 19, 2009