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It took years to beat back the state of Virginia’s ill-advised plan to toll Interstate 81, but eventually it was abandoned. Trucking, and the state’s motorists, breathed a sigh of relief after that tolling scheme was tossed out.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a Senate subcommittee the Obama administration soon will unveil its plan to relaunch a cross-border trucking program along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The South Carolina Trucking Association said it will withdraw support of a tort reform measure it championed if lawmakers do not kill amendments that the association said have weakened the bill.

CHICAGO — Former Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner defended current Secretary Ray LaHood, telling tank truck executives here that recent pushes to promote rail and other modes of transportation at the expense of trucking were likely foisted upon him by the White House.

As you’ve heard it said many times, “Without Trucks, America Stops.” And it’s still true. Unfortunately, the trucking industry’s primary advocate has had to formally remind the Department of Transportation of this salient fact.

The California Air Resources Board has directed its staff to come up with specific proposals by September to provide additional flexibility to help truckers ease the financial pain of complying with the state’s new truck regulations.

A shipper may hire a truck for any of a variety of reasons: Perhaps there is a long distance to cover or the load requires more space than available in the trunk of a car.

Review of the 2007 generation of diesel engines has been a very hot topic this year. At the annual American Trucking Associations Technology & Maintenance Council meeting, I was one of the panelists asked to score the performance of the 2007 engines based on TransAm’s experiences.

The future of the new, publicly owned bridge at Windsor-Detroit rests with the Michigan Legislature. By June 1, we will know whether the Detroit River International Crossing — or the Gordie Howe Bridge as I call it — will be built, or whether it will be shelved and, perhaps never constructed, or at least not in the lifetime of most of us. 

The huge ash cloud hanging over Europe from last week’s volcano eruption in Iceland is hampering global air freight and causing a shift in European cargo from planes to trucks, news services reported.