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A proposed rule that would prohibit carriers, shippers and brokers from coercing truck drivers to violate safety regulations was forwarded Jan. 10 to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.

Washington, D.C., is often the butt of jokes for its year-after-year inaction. But this week — one filled with transportation events — there is a sense that maybe, just maybe, 2014 will be different.

Two trucking fleets received orders from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to compensate workers who were fired after they said they were unable to drive because of illness.

Transportation funding and truck safety will be thrust into the spotlight this week as the U.S. House of Representatives convenes its first hearing on a new highway bill and Department of Transportation leaders make several public addresses.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will issue a rule next week extending for one year a requirement that interstate truck drivers carry a paper copy of their medical record, the agency announced.

A plan to ban the registration of new diesel vehicles in the District of Columbia has been averted after trucking and automotive stakeholders testified the legislation would violate federal law and harm D.C.’s economy.