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.
Fed Cuts Rate to Record Low ‘Target Range’ of Zero to 0.25%
The Federal Reserve Tuesday cut the key U.S. interest rate to a “target range” of zero to 0.25%, a record low.
December 16, 2008Diesel Falls 9.3¢ to $2.422
Diesel fuel’s national average price fell 9.3 cents to $2.422 a gallon, while gasoline’s decline slowed, the Energy Department said Monday.
December 16, 2008Housing Starts Plunge 18.9% to Record Low
New housing starts plunged 18.9% in November to the lowest level on record, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
December 16, 2008CPI Falls by Record 1.7% in November
Consumer prices fell in November by a record 1.7%, led by steep declines in energy, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
December 16, 2008UPS Speeds Some LTL Shipments
UPS Freight said Monday it has set faster less-than-truckload shipping times between central Illinois and points throughout the country.
December 15, 2008EPA to Require Sensors For Emissions in 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its final rule requiring heavy-truck manufacturers to install onboard diagnostic systems starting in 2010 to alert drivers when engine emission systems are malfunctioning or deteriorating.
December 15, 2008Calif. Sets Strict Diesel Emissions Rule
The California Air Resources Board Friday adopted the strictest diesel emission standards in the nation, requiring expensive diesel particulate filters on rigs on a timetable, over objections the rule could hurt or shut down smaller trucking companies, the Associated Press reported.
December 15, 2008New York Manufacturing Index Reaches All-Time Low
Manufacturing growth in New York state continued to show contraction this month, hitting the lowest level on record, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Monday.
December 15, 2008Obama’s Infrastructure Proposal Draws Trucking Industry Praise
President-elect Barack Obama’s promise to sponsor the largest infrastructure-building program in more than 50 years has excited trucking officials, who also encouraged the new administration not to overlook the longer-term highway spending package due next year.
December 15, 2008Diesel Slips 10¢ to $2.515
The average retail price of U.S. diesel fuel dropped for the 10th consecutive week, the Department of Energy reported, but the gap between diesel and gasoline price reached the widest spread since the agency began publishing diesel prices in 1994.
December 15, 2008