Federal, News, Truck Parking
Marijuana rescheduling will not alter DOT drug testing, Buttigieg tells Congress
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Congress that truckers will be tested for marijuana even if the drug is rescheduled.
Listen Now
Podcast: What can we expect out of new FMCSA leader?
FMCSA’s new acting administrator has a long history in the DOT – and it may offer a guide for those wondering where the agency is headed.
The Latest
Fuel prices, News
President Trump entertains idea of 25-cent fuel tax increase
Shortly after releasing his infrastructure plan, President Trump held a meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss details. According to one senator at the meeting, Trump threw out the idea of increasing fuel taxes by 25 cents, the same proposal made by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., acknowledged that Trump had […]
News
Comments now open on ELD exemption request from National Electrical Contractors Association
An exemption request from the electronic logging device mandate asks to allow electrical contractors who drive utility-service commercial vehicles to record their duty status changes with paper logs is now open for public comment. The National Electrical Contractors Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group advocating on behalf of its membership, has requested the exemption. The Federal […]
News
Freight index continues streak of setting new record high
The Transportation Services Index, which measures freight movement in tons and ton-miles, shows freight transportation reaching another all-time high in December, including a modest increase in trucking. Trucking freight jumped forward for a sixth consecutive month, increasing from 148.3 to 149, an increase of less than 1 percent. Numbers from the American Trucking Associations reveal […]
News, Tolls
Maine bill calls for all-electronic tolls on turnpike
A Maine bill calls for directing the Maine Turnpike Authority to install and implement an all-electronic tolling, or AET, system for any new or rebuilt toll facilities. The Turnpike Authority is planning to build a new toll facility in the town of York. The cost to replace the existing toll facility at the turnpike’s southern […]
News, OOIDA
OOIDA’s Compliance Connection program helps owner-operators manage paperwork
No matter the size, managing a fleet of trucks and drivers can be burdensome. Keeping tabs on which truck and which driver is compliant can be difficult and easy to forget. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is now offering a new program to relieve a lot of that burden called Compliance Connection. Compliance Connection is […]
News
DAT Solutions: Competition, capacity keep spot van markets cool
Spot market rates continue to decline seasonally, as volumes for February are slightly lower compared to 2017. That loss can be attributed to competition from the railroads, as intermodal shipments are up slightly year over year. That extra competition has helped push truckload rates lower. On DAT MembersEdge, the national average van rate fell six […]
News
Senate confirms Martinez as FMCSA administrator
Ray Martinez, the former head of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, is now the latest director of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Martinez’s appointment to become the sixth director in the agency’s history was confirmed via voice vote by the Senate on Feb. 13. He previously received unanimous approval from the Senate Committee […]
News, OOIDA
OOIDA leads charge to reform hours of service
Countering a trend of increasing rigidness in regulations that subsequently are not improving the crash rates on the highways, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a petition on Tuesday calling for a reform of the hours-of-service regulations. OOIDA submitted the formal petition on Tuesday, Feb. 13, with U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and […]
News
Study reveals prevalence of drowsy driving among passenger vehicle drivers
With so much discussion about fatigued truckers behind the wheel, where is all the talk about passenger vehicle motorists driving while drowsy? At last, AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety has recently released a study that looked into drowsy-driving crashes and identified drowsiness in nearly 10 percent of examined crashes. AAA monitored the driving of more […]
Opinion
The wisdom of ex-ATA honcho Tom Donohue
Do we all need ELDs? Not according to the ATA. “If we’re safe, if we do the maintenance, if we do the safety training, if we don’t have a lot of accidents, then we ought to have some flexibility.” Sound familiar? That’s pretty much OOIDA’s case in its request that safe small fleets and owner-operators […]
