Federal, News
Truck Leasing Task Force plans meetings in June, July
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Truck Leasing Task Force will resume with meetings scheduled in June and July.
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Podcast: Taking on EPA and CARB
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers explains his involvement in two separate lawsuits aimed at their strict new emission reduction rules.
The Latest
Fuel prices, News
Diesel kicks off 2018 with highest prices in nearly three years
The average price of a gallon of on-highway diesel went up 7 cents to $2.973 per gallon for the week ending Monday, Jan. 1. This marks the second consecutive increase after three weeks of decreases and the highest prices since Jan. 12, 2015, when diesel was $3.053. Diesel prices went up in all 10 regions […]
News
Transportation revenue on agenda from coast to coast
Talks about how to pay for needed road and bridge work is certain to once again dominate discussion at statehouses across the country. Below is a sampling of efforts in some notable states. Arkansas DOT suggests shifting sales tax money The Arkansas Department of Transportation is trying to come up with a plan to address […]
News, Safety & Security
New opioids get added to DOT’s drug-testing panel on Jan. 1
A final rule that adds four semi-synthetic opioids to the existing Department of Transportation drug-testing panel goes into effect Jan. 1. The new opioids are hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone. Some of the commonly prescribed painkillers with these opioids include OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, Norco, Dilaudid and Exalgo. A final rule was published in the Federal […]
News
FMCSA silent on whether CME website was hacked
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration won’t say whether or not its National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners website had been hacked. The website, which allows commercial drivers to confirm which doctors are on the national registry to perform Department of Transportation physicals, originally went down on Nov. 30 and didn’t resume its functionality until Dec. 14. […]
News
Caltrans considers ‘road charge’ tax as alternative to fuel tax
In 2017, California addressed its short-term transportation funding woes by increasing its gasoline excise taxes by 12 cents and diesel excise taxes by 20 cents. Seeking a more long-term solution, Caltrans recently released a study that looks into the possibility of replacing the fuel tax with a more user-based tax. According to the report, the […]
Opinion
ELD mandate off to rocky start
Did anyone (outside of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) doubt how rough the past couple of weeks have been since the ELD mandate kicked in? The boom you may have heard emanating from Grain Valley, Mo., starting on Dec. 18 were the phones blowing up here at OOIDA HQ. The Compliance Department continues to […]
News
Four more ELD exemption requests, including OOIDA’s, open for comments next week
Four more exemption requests from the electronic logging device mandate will be available for public comments at the start of the new year. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is expected to publish the exemption requests in the Jan. 2 issue of the Federal Register. The agency will seek public comment on the requests for […]
Business, News
Chinese social networking company acquires Trucker Path
Trucker Path Inc. has recently been acquired by Chinese company Renren, according to a news release. Renren operates social networking services and an internet finance business in China. Renren will acquire 100 percent of Trucker Path, a social platform for the trucking industry in the United States. The Chinese company will take over the Trucker […]
News
Alabama truck lane restriction proposed at statehouse
An Alabama state lawmaker is again pursuing left-lane restrictions to be imposed on certain highways for professional drivers. State law already requires vehicles traveling below the posted speed limit on interstates and U.S. highways to stay to the right. Rep. Tommy Hanes, R-Scottsboro, has filed a bill for consideration during the upcoming regular session that […]
News
Arizona DOT installs three more weigh-in-motion sensors near Yuma and Gila Bend
The Arizona Department of Transportation is trying to keep trucks moving through the state. ADOT’s weigh-in-motion technology has been expanded, allowing trucks to be checked for weight, registration and permits without stopping near Yuma and Gila Bend. According to an ADOT news release, weigh-in-motion sensors have been added in three locations: Interstate 8 at milepost […]
