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A sample of last-minute written comments by trucking-related trade organizations mostly were supportive of tweaking federal hours-of-service rules to make them more flexible for commercial vehicle drivers.

Legal observers said the outcome of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have major implications for the trucking industry.

Four House Democrats have asked the Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General to investigate a glider truck study by a Tennessee Tech University researcher. The study already is the subject of a research misconduct investigation by the university.

WASHINGTON — Attorneys for Prime Inc. and truck driver Dominic Oliveira argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 3 the merits of a lawsuit that could deprive fleets and owner-operators alike of their right to resolve disputes through arbitration.

Former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood was sentenced to 12½ years in prison and fined $750,000 on Sept. 26 for his leadership role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to cheat truckers out of diesel fuel rebates.

The medical community has been waiting nearly three years for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to update its Medical Examiner Handbook, which some examiners use as a guideline for assessing truck drivers’ health.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has pre-empted motor carriers hauling hazardous materials, explosives and security-sensitive cargo from California’s meal-and-rest-break requirements.

Commercial motor vehicle enforcement officers patrolling U.S. and Canadian highways issued more than 57,000 citations and nearly 88,000 warnings for unsafe driving behaviors during 2018 Operation Safe Driver Week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reported Sept. 19.

The Senate has passed legislation with a provision that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to provide an explanation for a 21-month delay in issuing mandatory federal hair testing guidelines for safety-sensitive transportation employees such as truck drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a final rule that will allow certificated medical examiners to decide whether truck drivers with stable diabetes are qualified to drive, eliminating a requirement that the drivers seek an exemption from the agency before being allowed to get behind the wheel.