ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has formally announced establishment of the truck driver apprenticeship program that was included in last year’s sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure bill, an initiative that will train candidates younger than 21 to drive in interstate commerce for the first time ever.

WASHINGTON — Promoting productive and rewarding careers for the freight workforce is a priority of the Biden administration as it continues to address bottlenecks at ports, the nation’s top transportation officer said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a Jan. 11 tour of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach lauded the efforts that have kept freight moving through the facilities amid crushing backlogs.

Benjamin Whitely headed to a Safeway supermarket in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 11 to grab some items for dinner. But he was disappointed to find the vegetable bins barren and a sparse selection of turkey, chicken and milk.

The volume of traffic through the Port of Mobile’s container terminal hit a record in 2021, the Alabama State Port Authority announced Jan. 10.

Amazon.com Inc. employees in Bessemer, Ala., will vote by mail next month in a rerun election on whether to unionize, the National Labor Relations Board announced Jan. 11.

WASHINGTON — The World Bank is downgrading its outlook for the global economy, blaming continuing outbreaks of COVID-19, a reduction in government economic support and ongoing bottlenecks in global supply chains.

More stringent COVID-19 vaccine requirements set to take effect at the borders may put new pressure on freight traffic between the United States and Canada, experts said.

Massachusetts DOT told federal regulators overseeing the potential purchase of Pan Am Railways by competitor CSX that the state needs CSX to guarantee track access for east-west passenger trains through Springfield.

The Supreme Court appears divided on legal challenges centering on the scope and federal authority of the Biden administration’s sweeping proposed COVID vaccine mandate, which would require private-sector firms to vaccinate or test tens of millions of employees.