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Last year’s record-setting snowfalls and bitter cold temperatures depleted road salt stockpiles and are driving up prices for many states new prepping for this winter. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) received bids in excess of $100 per ton, triple the price paid last year. The rocketing prices prompted Midwest Salt of Fort Wayne to…

In November, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to repeal a provision in a 2013 transportation financing law that calls for indexing the state’s gas tax to inflation. By linking the gas tax to inflation, the 2013 Massachusetts Legislature created a situation where gas taxes would automatically increase when the Consumer Price Index went up. Opponents…

A group of Philadelphia FedEx Freight drivers recently voted to join a local Teamsters union, a landmark move for the company’s drivers who are seeking improved working conditions. The group of 47 drivers, who work at FedEx Freight’s East Philadelphia terminal in Croydon, Pa., voted 26-18 in favor of joining the Local 107 union.The drivers…

Advancements in new clean diesel technology that has resulted in a transit buses with near zero emissions is being adopted by U.S. transit officials at a faster pace than other large vehicle sectors, according to Ezra Finkin, the Director of Policy for the Diesel Technology Forum. Finkin explained that U.S. transit agencies were adopting clean…

An analyst for Cass Freight Index reports that the U.S. freight market continues to enjoy solid growth in spite of widespread driver shortages. “The freight industry continues to experience the strongest year since the recession ended, and while there are still headwinds, things should continue to improve for the industry,” stated Rosalyn Wilson, senior business…

The average marginal cost per mile for truck drivers rose to $1.68 in 2013 from $1.63 in 2012, according to a report from the American Transportation Research Institute. The Operational Costs of Trucking, an ongoing study tracking costs from 2008 through 2013, is based on information derived directly from fleets’ financial and operational data, ATRI…

Crumbling and congested U.S. roadways are driving up costs for U.S. manufacturers as late deliveries and unreliable transportation undermine hard-fought gains in production efficiency, according to U.S. manufacturing executives. Thomas Riordan, Chief Executive of Neenah Enterprises and an official with a national manufacturers group, figures that truck and rail traffic congestion raise the Neenah, Wis.,…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is mulling over the possibility of giving motor carriers regulatory flexibility or other benefits if their safety efforts go beyond minimum requirements, the agency’s chief safety officer said recently. Speaking to an American Trucking Associations Safety Policy Committee at the group’s annual meeting in San Diego, Jack Van…

A year into construction of the new $3.9 billion Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, state officials have yet to spell out what tolls will be assessed on the new bridge. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency balked at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to use $511 million in federal clean water loans on the project. Cuomo…

A pilot project led by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the University of Minnesota is looking at providing real-time information to truckers about where they can find a safe a place to pull off the road when they have reached their driving limit. Federal regulations limit truckers to a maximum 70-hour workweek, down from…