Safety

So the latest chapter in the seemingly never-ending saga of the government’s road to a new hours-of-service rule for the nation’s truck drivers has begun, and we can all expect at least a 2% to 3% decline in productivity as a result.

Crashes such as the recent one in upstate New York where a trailer apparently separated from a tractor and struck a minivan with deadly consequences are rare, according to federal crash experts and investigators working on the case.

Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico rose 7.5% in April from the same month last year and increased 2.4% from March, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

According to a new study by AAA, hands-free devices can be dangerously distracting to drivers and can result in drivers not seeing items right in front of them.

LA JOLLA, Calif. — Trucking companies could face hefty tax penalties if they are not prepared for provisions of the federal health care law that go into effect next year, a financial consultant warned.

Heavy-duty truck and automobile battery manufacturer Exide Technologies filed for bankruptcy after environmental regulators in California shut down one if its lead-recycling plants, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

The Texas Department of Transportation plans to double the amount of roads banning trucks with three or more axles from the left lane in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The National Transportation Safety Board asked federal regulators Tuesday to apply some safety technology requirements to straight trucks, vans and pickup trucks that currently only apply to heavy trucks, saying those components could increase safety and prevent deaths.

Most have heard the outcome of MAP-21, the current highway funding law, for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which has said repeatedly that MAP-21 requires it to complete 29 new safety regulations within 27 months.

Crews in Washington state were constructing a temporary span last week to replace a section of bridge on Interstate 5 that collapsed May 23, apparently after it was struck by a truck carrying an oversize load.