Safety

FMCSA announced Jan. 4 that some states will start using multiyear commercial vehicle safety plans when carrying out projects made possible by the agency’s largest grant program supporting states.

Bipartisan legislation designed to exclude from the trucking industry those involved in human trafficking was advanced to the White House Dec. 21.

The world’s biggest carmakers and technology companies are spending billions of dollars to perfect your ability to drive without thinking. Nissan Motor Co. is taking a different direction — trying to “decode” your thinking so hands-on driving is more fun.

Trucking firms are revved up for 2018, with predictions of tight capacity and strong demand for freight hauling setting the stage for an anticipated big year ahead for the industry, and indicators pointing to a potentially sustained period of business expansion in the United States and around the globe.

Federal trucking regulators have granted a 90-day waiver to agricultural commodities and livestock haulers from installing electronic logging devices in their trucks, and issued a separate clarification on potential miles that are exempt from hours-of-service requirements for agriculture haulers.

No matter your place on the political spectrum, it is undeniable passage of the Republican-led tax reform measure was a monumental feat. This week we highlight our favorite news items from Capitol Agenda in 2017.

WASHINGTON — American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear asked Congress to consider establishing an infrastructure fund capable of generating about $340 billion over 10 years.

The futuristic appeal of the autonomous vehicles that began operating Dec. 21 on the Jacksonville Transportation Authority test track is the prospect that eventually hundreds of them could be shuttling passengers around downtown.

Self-driving cars may be the future, but relinquishing control of the wheel certainly takes some getting used to. It’s one thing to go (slowly) with the flow on well-marked city streets, for which many self-driving cars were initially developed and tested, but what happens when you throw icy winter road conditions into the mix?

Another fleet of mining trucks will join the growing ranks of machines operating autonomously using Caterpillar Inc. systems in Australia next year, reflecting the company’s push to cement industry partnerships with proprietary technology.