���ϳԹ���

The economy continued to expand moderately from early April to late May in most of the country with cargo volume and shipments increasing after a difficult winter, the Federal Reserve said.

Members of the trucking industry urged key senators on June 3 to approve a one-year suspension of restart restrictions aimed at truck drivers when a Senate committee considers a fiscal 2015 transportation funding bill later this week.

Service industries expanded in May at the fastest pace in nine months as orders picked up, indicating improving sales will help the U.S. economy strengthen.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro told a Senate panel that the agency knew its new hours-of-service rules would affect trucking’s productivity but that data is expected to show the HOS rules are increasing safety.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Acting Deputy Transportation Secretary Victor Mendez on June 3 cautioned Congress against approving a short-term legislative fix to address looming shortfalls in highway funding this summer, urging it to approve a long-term “strategic” plan instead.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster said an extension of MAP-21 rather than a new long-term bill transportation bill is the best course of action this year, given the Highway Trust Fund crisis.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is expected to offer an amendment today to a fiscal 2015 transportation funding bill that would address what her staff said are the unintended consequences of a federal truck safety rule that is opposed by much of the industry.