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U.S. Army trucks using an autonomous driving system from Lockheed Martin logged more than 55,000 testing miles during a simulated warfare experiment program held at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Fort Bliss, Texas, according to Lockheed Martin.

Truckers have long been the eyes and ears of the road, and the industry and Colorado lawmakers want to officially put that perspective to use as the state continues its growing battle against human trafficking.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill published a letter Nov. 29 asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to delay the electronic logging device rule, a move that prompted a quick response from the trucking industry.

Legislation designed to exclude from the industry people involved in human trafficking was advanced by a House panel on Nov. 30.

Amid recent failed attempts by party leaders to negotiate funding parameters for fiscal 2018, Congress will opt for a short-term measure designed to avoid a government shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Nov. 30.

Beginning Jan. 1, truck drivers being administered random pre-employment and post-accident drug tests will be screened for four additional synthetic opioids, the highly addictive drugs that likely will require medical experts to consider prescriptions that balance pain mitigation with safety performance.

Members of Springfield, Ohio's UAW Local 402 have started a letter-writing campaign to Ohio Gov. John Kasich and state lawmakers after Navistar lost its years-long hold on a contract to provide trucks for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Mandating electronic logging devices in Canada would separate conscientious fleets from those who do not prioritize safety, according to Stephen Laskowski, president of the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.