Government

About Government News...

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.

Business, Safety, Government

ISM Factory Index Slips But Shows Expansion

An index of U.S. manufacturing activity declined slightly in September but showed overall expansion, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.

October 1, 2009
Government, Business

Construction Spending Jumps in August

U.S. construction spending rose 0.8% in August, the largest increase since September 2008, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

October 1, 2009
Business, Government

Personal Spending Rises by the Most in 8 Years

Consumer personal spending rose in August by the largest amount in almost eight years, while incomes climbed for the second consecutive month, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

October 1, 2009
Business, Safety, Government, Logistics

LaHood, at Summit, Calls Distracted Driving ‘Epidemic’

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday that the Department of Transportation’s two-day distracted driving summit was likely to result in “something legislatively” to ban texting and driving, which he termed a national “epidemic.”

October 1, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

NAFTA Surface Trade Falls 28% in July

Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico plunged 28% in July from a year earlier, though rose from June, the Department of Transportation said.

September 30, 2009
Business, Government

Final GDP Reading for 2Q Revised Upward to a 0.7% Decline

The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.7% in the second quarter, better than the 1% decline previously estimated, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

September 30, 2009
Business, Safety, Government

Chicago Manufacturing Index Falls

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago area shrank in September, the Institute for Supply Chain Management-Chicago said Tuesday.

September 30, 2009
Government, Business, Safety

Opinion: Today’s Quiz: Truck A or Truck B?

It’s September and all over the country, America’s children are back in school. You don’t need to be a child, of course, to benefit from education and training, something particularly true in the trucking industry, where it’s vitally important for everyone involved to be at the top of his or her game.

September 30, 2009
Business, Safety, Government, Logistics

DOT Opens Two-Day National Summit on Distracted Driving

Department of Transportation Wednesday opened its two-day national summit on distracted driving, with panels of state, federal and other officials as well as interested and affected parties speaking on issues around cell phone use and texting by drivers.

September 30, 2009
Government, Business, Safety

Senate Panel Questions Ferro Over FMCSA Confirmation Bid

WASHINGTON — Anne Ferro, President Obama’s choice to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, had her day before the Senate Commerce Committee last week as its members weighed her confirmation.

September 29, 2009