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WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee transportation subcommittee said last week that hikes in federal and state fuel taxes may be needed next year to help maintain the nation's highways and bridges.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were expected to return to work at 6 pm PDT Wednesday at 29 ports operated by the Pacific Maritime Association, news services reported, but PMA spokesmen said it could take up to nine weeks to clear a backlog that has built up since a lockout began Sept. 29.

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Just one day after charging a board of inquiry with the task of looking at the impact of the West Coast port lockout, reports said that President Bush may ask a judge to force the Pacific Maritime Association to let its employees come back to work.

I disagree that new technology is somewhat of a Band-Aid used by trucking companies to circumvent poor driving habits or poor physical or mental skills.

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The shutdown of West Coast ports that began early last week holds a number of lessons for the trucking industry — about the economic power of international trade flows, about how intermodal links have tied so many businesses together and about how quickly a dispute between other players can hurt so many truckers.

As President Bush was announcing he was invoking the Taft-Hartley Act to temporarily resolve the West Coast port lockout, the dockworkers union said it was offering to come back to work for 30 days under their old contract, providing a confusing flurry of statements and reactions.

The White House said Monday that President Bush is taking a first step in intervening in the now weeklong port lockout on the West Coast, news services reported.