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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced the formation of a 26-member advisory committee that is tasked with updating classroom and new behind-the-wheel training requirements for professional truck and bus drivers, according to an agency press release. The first meeting of the advisory committee is scheduled this week in…

The American Soybean Association (ASA) wants Congress to increase truck weight limits on U.S. highways, according to an association report. ASA is pointing to a recent study by the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC), “Heavier Semis: A Good Idea?” which considers raising the weight limit from the current 80,000 lbs. with five axles to 97,000 lbs….

Four highway safety groups have petitioned the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require large trucks and buses to install technology that alerts the driver to stopped traffic ahead and brakes the vehicle if the driver does not respond, according to an Associated Press report. AP reporter Tom Krisher reported that Advocates for Highway and…

In its most recent forecast, the Department of Energy lowered its forecast for 2015 U.S. diesel prices by two cents to $2.83 per gallon while slightly boosting the forecast for crude oil prices. DOE predicts diesel will slide to $2.70 per gallon from March through August before rising, according to DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA)….

The turnover rate at large truckload carriers rose one percentage point to an annualized rate of 97 percent in the third quarter of 2014, according to new data released by American Trucking Associations (ATA). “Driver turnover, which is a good barometer of the driver market, remains high,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “While it…

Work slowdowns and a looming strike at West Coast ports is now having a ripple effect on the entire U.S. supply chain, according to a report in The World Property Journal. “If the dispute is not resolved quickly, we will see significant ripple effects throughout our regional and national economies. In the short term, shippers…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found Saia Motor Freight Line guilty of one willful and 11 safety and health violations connected with an Aug. 6, 2014 explosion at its St. Louis terminal, according to an article on WorkersCompensation.com. The online article reported that OSHA has proposed penalties of $119,000…

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he would rather rely on $1.3 billion in bond revenue to fund transportation improvements rather than a gas tax increase some in his state are pushing. According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walker wants to increase the state’s bonding for transportation by 30 percent. “Governor Walker’s goal,…

New York’s State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has finalized regulations that will allow construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling stations in all parts of the state except New York City. Under the agency’s regulations, facilities would be allowed to store up to 70,000 gallons of LNG. DEC anticipates that virtually all of the…

Road Safe America founder Steve Owings recently asked a committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support a rule to slow the nation’s heaviest commercial tractor-trailers to 65 mph or slower. Owings is asking for a support for a U.S. DOT rule that would require the big rigs to use speed governors on the…