Safety

Trucking firms are taking more measures to help the health of drivers, helping to boost both drivers’ welfare and their own bottom lines, the Associated Press reported.

When a motor vehicle hits an object head-on, the rapid deceleration jerks the bodies of drivers and passengers forward, putting them at risk of serious injury or worse. That is why front-seat air bags are a standard supplemental restraint to seat belts in passenger cars.

In 1976, I was writing a college paper on the case for deregulating the trucking industry. Little did I realize then that, 31 years later, I would take the helm of American Trucking Associations, the premier trade group in transportation.

The Mexican government has posted its requirements and procedures for U.S. trucking companies seeking access to its highways as part of a controversial cross-border pilot project.

The economy’s service sector growth rate grew at the fastest pace in more than a year in June, the Institute for Supply Management said.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed reducing the amount of ozone in the air, which trucking industry and manufacturing officials said could lead to retrofits of older trucks.

Rail carload and intermodal freight fell for the week ended June 30 compared with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

The Ontario government will introduce legislation this fall to adopt a proposal put forward by the Ontario Trucking Association almost two years ago to make 65-mph speed limiters on trucks mandatory, OTA said last week.

This week’s issue of Transport Topics is the last one that will be produced at 2200 Mill Road in Alexandria, Va., the headquarters of American Trucking Associations, our owner, for almost 24 years.

Trucking companies, owner-operators and shippers at the Port of Oakland, Calif., and Oakland’s World Trade Center will be able to track freight using Global Positioning System technology starting in about six months.