The U.S. Department of Transportation is making $500 million in grants available for states and municipalities that need help to pay for infrastructure projects.
April 2, 2015Government
FMCSA Issues Rule Increasing Motor Carrier Civil Penalties for Violating Federal Regs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a final rule increasing most of its motor carrier civil penalties for violations of federal regulations.
April 3, 2015GovernmentBusinessSafety
DOT Provides $209 Million Loan for Ohio Bypass
The U.S. Department of Transportation on April 1 announced a $209 million loan for the Portsmouth Bypass project in Ohio, the state’s largest single construction project and the first to rely on a public-private partnership.
April 2, 2015Government
FMCSA OKs Break Exemptions for Ore. Lumber Haulers
Federal regulators have approved a request by the Oregon Trucking Associations that grants commercial vehicle operators transporting timber from the state’s forestlands a limited exemption from taking 30-minute rest breaks.
April 2, 2015BusinessSafetyGovernment
ARTBA Analysis: 61,000 Bridges in Need of Significant Repair
A recent review of federal data by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association concluded that more than 61,000 structurally deficient bridges nationwide require significant upgrades and repairs.
April 1, 2015GovernmentBusinessSafetyFuel
Phase 2 GHG Rule Delayed, EPA Says
The proposed Phase 2 greenhouse-gas emissions rule for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, originally planned for publication in March, has been delayed until June, the Environmental Protection Agency announced.
March 31, 2015GovernmentBusinessSafetyAutonomous
CBO: Freight Transportation by Truck Eight Times Higher Than Cost of Rail
The cost of transporting freight by truck is about eight times higher than by rail, the Congressional Budget Office determined in a working paper published March 30.
March 31, 2015GovernmentBusiness
Nafta Trade Declines in January, But Truck Freight Rises
U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico in January declined 1.2% to $89.2 billion from 2014, but freight carried by trucks increased 3.6% to $55.6 billion, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported March 31.
March 31, 2015BusinessGovernmentLogistics
Consumer Confidence Rises to Second-Highest Since 2007
Consumer confidence increased in March to the second-highest level since August 2007 as Americans grew more upbeat about the outlook for the labor market and incomes.
March 31, 2015GovernmentBusinessSafety
FMCSA Rejects Petition to Exempt $75,000 Broker Bond
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has denied a request by the Association of Independent Property Brokers and Agents that all property brokers and freight forwarders be exempted from the agency’s $75,000 bond provision.  Â
March 30, 2015