News

The anticipated 2016 completion of the expansion of the Panama Canal will mean more “mega ships” arriving at U.S. ports and will impact U.S. trucking, according to a report recently released by the U.S. DOT Maritime Administration. The Panama Canal Expansion Study, the first of a two-part effort, predicts the larger Post Panamax vessels will…

For truckers, congested traffic is more than a source of frustration – it cuts into the bottom line, affecting schedules, deliveries and workloads. This means truckers try to steer away from highway choke points when a reasonable alternative exists. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released its list of the Top 100 congested locations…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported that the annual minimum random controlled substances testing rates for employees in safety sensitive positions, including tractor-trailer and bus drivers, will remain at 50 percent through 2015. The agency’s decision to maintain the current testing rate was based on data from motor carrier industry controlled substance lab…

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), the nation’s largest trucking association, has pledged to hire 100,000 veterans over the next two years as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign. “There’s no higher calling for an American than to serve in our armed forces, and I’d like to think that driving…

A controversial Hours of Service (HOS) restart rule that required truck drivers to take two periods off between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. during their 34-hour restart, and limited use of the restart to once a week was suspended last week when President Obama signed a trillion-dollar omnibus funding package that included the HOS rule…

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has delayed until next year completion of a comprehensive study of truck size and weight, frustrating many in the industry. “We recognize many people, including Congress, are eagerly awaiting the release of the report,” said a DOT spokesperson. “However, the department is committed to producing the most objective, data-driven…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is making another run at increasing liability coverage for trucking operators after being rebuffed by Congress earlier this year. FMCSA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in late November, announcing that it is considering a rulemaking that would increase the minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers,…

With both natural and man-made disasters breaking out somewhere on the globe on a regular basis, truck manufacturer Navistar, in partnership with Terranova GTS, recently unveiled its International DuraStar Multi-Purpose Vehicle (DuraStar MPV) – a truck designed to aid in disaster relief efforts. “This state-of-the-art multi-purpose vehicle provides a critical resource to aid disaster relief…

European Union (EU) regulators are investigating a number of the world’s top truck makers suspected of conspiring to fix prices. The Commission recently announced that it had sent formal charge sheets to several manufacturers it suspected of price fixing, marking the next phase of a complex investigation that began with raids on a number of…

A driver shortage, tightening capacity in both trucking and rail, congestion at major ports and an improving economy are all contributing to a transportation capacity crisis in the U.S., according to industry experts. And in regions where there has been a recovery, it has not been an even, across the board recovery – but an…