Federal, News
NHTSA denies petition on rear-impact guard final rule
NHTSA denied a petition from trucking safety groups to reconsider a 2022 final rule aimed at improving rear-impact guards.
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Podcast: When roads go down, truckers pay the price
A closure on U.S. 50 in Colorado prompts talk on resiliency and practicality – and the effect infrastructure problems have on truck drivers.
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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. […]
Analysis, Driver Fitness, News, Safety & Security
Forrest Lucas joins American Sikh truck owners in ELD mandate protest
Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil Products Inc. has joined with Sikhs Political Action Committee Chairman Gurinder Singh Khalsa, to express concern regarding the Trump administration decision to allow the electronic logging devices mandate to go forward. The mandate is scheduled for Dec. 18, but has faced a barrage of lawsuits, petitions and protests. In […]
Analysis, News
Cross border freight increasing; trucks still hauling most of it
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that in August trucks moved nearly 65 percent of NAFTA freight – with trains, planes, ships and pipelines picking up the rest. All five modes experienced an increase in freight year to year for the fourth consecutive month. The value of freight hauled across the […]
Driver Fitness, News
Truckers get free flu shots through a St. Christopher Fund vaccine program
The St. Christopher Truckers Fund is continuing with free vaccine vouchers for the 2017-18 season, a program that is being once again supported with funding from OOIDA. Through April 30, vouchers for free flu shots will be available for truckers. Also, truckers may get vouchers for free pneumonia and shingles vaccines. They are available through […]