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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…

Rep. Bud Shuster (R-PA), a key member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says this is the year for the modernization of freight corridors, according to a report in Bloomberg News. “Freight is very important. And we’re looking at putting dollars back into the corridors,” said Shuster. Shuster’s committee will be a major player…

Leaders of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) expressed disappointment with President Obama’s recent State of the Union speech for his lack of detail about U.S. infrastructure investment. “Just mentioning infrastructure is not a solution to our nation’s critical needs, and by simply bringing the topic up without details President Obama missed an opportunity to underscore…

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AAA auto club and American Trucking Associations are urging Congress to raise the federal gas tax to close a transportation funding shortfall that has reached an estimated $16 billion per year. “There are many challenges that Congress must address this year, but we believe that finding a solution for funding…

A New York startup called Transfix has joined companies such as DashHaul, CargoMatic and Keychain Logistics vying to become the “Uber” of trucking. Drew McElroy’s startup has a smartphone app that matches shipments with drivers. Transfix is already being tested by Barnes and Noble, Samsung, SuperValu and J.Crew, and cutting their “deadhead” runs (time driving…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will soon launch a national program to train police officers in traffic enforcement for large trucks. Jack Van Steenburg, chief safety officer at the agency, said the agency worked with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) on a curriculum covering the basics of truck safety enforcement and will…

Massachusetts lawmakers are proposing getting tougher on protesters who block highways. Rep. Colleen Garry has filed legislation that proposes making it a felony to block highways. If approved, her bill could result in stiffer penalties for those who participate in protests such as the ones that recently blocked Interstate 93 in two different places during…