ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

The May 20 closure of NationsWay Transport Service, one of the largest less-than-truckload operations in the country, caught many shippers and employees by surprise, even though the Colorado-based freight carrier had been unprofitable in recent years.

Keeping in step with their parent organizations, several foundations affiliated with trucking trade groups are changing their emphasis.

Fatalities from crashes involving large trucks dropped 1.8% from 5,398 in 1997 to an estimated 5,302 in 1998, Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater announced at a May 25 press conference.

Rep. Frank Wolf is forcing a showdown over federal motor carrier safety programs by moving to cut off all funding for truck safety projects unless the Department of Transportation quickly agrees to shift them out of the Federal Highway Administration.

The May 20 closure of NationsWay Transport Service, one of the largest less-than-truckload operations in the country, caught many shippers and employees by surprise, even though the Colorado-based freight carrier had been unprofitable in recent years.

On June 1, two of the biggest players in the railroad industry will each grab one side of a wishbone that joins somewhere around Cleveland and make a wish.

Truck drivers will get back to the 80% tax deduction for meals more quickly if legislation introduced in Congress May 19 becomes law.

Although Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater declined an invitation to speak at the Truckload Carriers Association Safety Council’s annual meeting, more than 200 safety managers were ready to deliver a message to him: More regulation and tougher enforcement will not produce safer highways unless trucking management is fully committed to safety.

State, provincial and federal officials are spreading out across the continent, looking for unsafe trucks and truckers, and at the same time carrying the message that the vast majority of professional drivers are safe — and very much appreciated.