One of the most vocal congressional critics of a plan to grant Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways as part of a yearlong pilot project blasted the Department of Transportation in a letter, accusing DOT of ignoring Congressional intent in continuing the test.
January 4, 2008GovernmentBusinessSafety
IRS Assesses FedEx $319 Mln. in Driver Classification Dispute
The IRS struck another blow to FedEx Ground’s independent contractor business model, assessing the package delivery company back taxes and penalties of $319 million for 2002 after an audit determined that company drivers should have been classified as employees.
January 7, 2008BusinessSafety
November Truck Tonnage Rises 3.3%
November truck tonnage in-creased by 3.3% over the same month a year ago, just the third increase in the past 17 months, according to the latest survey by American Trucking Associations.
January 7, 2008GovernmentBusinessSafetyFuel
Diesel Average Increases 3.7¢; Crude Briefly Tops $100
The average price of diesel fuel rose 3.7 cents to $3.345 a gallon last week while the price of crude oil pushed past $100 a barrel for the first time, which analysts said would soon lead to higher fuel prices.
January 7, 2008Business
Unemployment Rate Rises to 5%
The unemployment rate rose to a two-year high of 5% in December from 4.7% in November, while payrolls rose by 18,000 jobs, the smallest gain since August, the Labor Department said Friday.
January 4, 2008BusinessSafety
Rail, Intermodal Traffic Drop
Rail carload and intermodal traffic fell sharply for last week of 2007 compared with the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads said.
January 4, 2008BusinessGovernmentFuel
Oil Tops $100 Before Receding
Crude oil prices topped $100 Thursday before receding to close at $99.18 a barrel, short of Wednesday’s closing-price record, Bloomberg reported.
January 3, 2008GovernmentBusinessSafetyLogistics
ATRI, FMCSA Co-Hosting Online Safety Forum Tuesday
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Transportation Research Institute will co-host the latest in a series of national online forums that provide peer-to-peer industry insights on safety technologies on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
January 3, 2008Business
Jobless Claims Fall 21,000 for Week
Initial jobless claims plunged by 21,000 for the week ended Saturday to 336,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
January 3, 2008BusinessSafetyGovernment
Texas Transportation Commissioner Williamson Dies
Texas Transportation Commission Chairman and former longtime state lawmaker Ric Williamson died Sunday of an apparent heart attack, the Associated Press reported. He was 55.
January 3, 2008