Safety

As the ongoing storm hovers over the trucking industry, some carriers are so busy hunkering down that they have forgotten to look for the silver lining in those clouds, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations’ chief economist, has been appointed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the Advisory Council on Transportation Statistics.

Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations’ chief economist, has been appointed by Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the Advisory Council on Transportation Statistics, which advises DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The Department of Transportation released a proposed rule Wednesday that would ban texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers.

The White House Office of Management and Budget approved a proposed ban on texting by commercial drivers Monday, sending the regulation on to be published in the Federal Register.

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has increased registration fees to up $2,600 for large motor carriers that carry hazardous materials, American Trucking Associations said.

Increased competition is driving down insurance rates and forcing providers to offer broader coverage to transportation firms, according to in-terviews with industry specialists and new surveys.

Business groups, including American Trucking Associations, said they had concerns about the recently enacted health-care reform package.

Truck tonnage rose 2.6% in February, the third consecutive year-over-year increase, as the industry continues a steady rebound, American Trucking Associations reported.

The White House Office of Management and Budget said last week it signed off on an electronic on-board recorders rule, clearing the way for the regulation to be published soon in the Federal Register.