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House bill aims to address mistreatment of port truck drivers

U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., announced a bill on Thursday, Oct. 26, that she says will address a broken employment system that forces thousands of port truck drivers into illegal lease-to-own contracts that require drivers to work under severely unfair conditions. Reps. Napolitano and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., were joined by truck drivers from the Ports […]

News, Safety & Security

New inland port in north Georgia will move thousands of trucks away from Atlanta

Truckers hauling freight in and out of the Port of Savannah in Georgia will be diverted to a new location near the Georgia-Tennessee border at around this time next year. The new inland port is expected to take approximately 50,000 trucks off Georgia highways in highly congested areas. Expected to open in Chatsworth, Ga., in […]

Elections, Fuel prices, News

ELECTION 2017: Louisiana voters say ‘yes’ to protecting new road revenue

Voters in Louisiana have approved an initiative to protect new transportation funds raised in the state. Constitutional Amendment 3 was approved with 54 percent in support and 46 percent in opposition. As a result, any new fuel tax revenues in the state could not be used for purposes unrelated to transportation and infrastructure. Specifically, the […]

Analysis, News

FHWA seeks state DOT applicants for failed tolling program

Despite its lack of success, the Federal Highway Administration is accepting applications from state transportation departments for three spots in the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program. The program allows up to three states to collect tolls on existing highways. On Oct. 20, FHWA posted a notice of solicitation for applications in the Federal […]

News, State

Washington I-405 express toll lanes challenged as failure

An express toll lane pilot project on a stretch of Interstate 405 northeast of Seattle is being branded a failure by a group of state lawmakers. The project converted high-occupancy vehicle lanes and a general-purpose lane into express toll lanes, or ETLs, in September 2015. The project along a 17-mile stretch of I-405 between Lynnwood […]

News, Safety & Security

Bill combating human trafficking detailed

A recently filed report from Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., provided some details regarding a bill that would designate a human trafficking prevention coordinator within the Department of Transportation. The Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, or S1536, was introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in July and passed the Senate in September. On Oct. […]

Analysis, News

Climate change significantly affects Midwest infrastructure, report says

Hurricanes devastated entire cities this year, including significant damage to infrastructure. Is climate change to blame, and can we do something about it? According to the Midwest Economic Policy Institute, the answer to both questions is “yes.” In the United States, temperatures are rising and extreme weather is more commonplace, according to a 2015 Environmental […]

Crime & Courts, News, Safety & Security

California trucker faces misdemeanor charge for ‘reckless driving’ during protest

A California truck driver is charged with reckless driving after police say he attempted to make his way through a crowd of protestors at a natural gas storage facility in the Los Angeles area on Monday. The driver, Trever Ziese, 46, of Ventura, posted $5,000 bond and was released from a jail facility in Van […]

News

Prize truck shown off at military hiring fair

Transitioning military personnel received a sneak peek at the Transition Trucking program’s top prize – a 2017 Kenworth T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper – during the Hiring our Heroes Transition Summit this past week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Lakewood, Wash. The summit was coordinated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our […]

Elections, News, State

ELECTION 2017: Texas counties to decide on transportation bonds totaling $367 million

Voters in multiple Texas counties will decide next month whether to tap bonds to get transportation work done. Ballots in Travis County will include a question to benefit infrastructure throughout the Austin-area locale. Proposition A on the Nov. 7 ballot calls for authorizing the issuance of $93.4 million in bonds for transportation and road safety projects countywide. […]