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Two Midwestern congressmen have introduced legislation that would make it easier for long haul truckers to use natural gas as a fuel. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) recently introduced a trio of bills they say will make long haul trucking safer, more convenient and more cost effective. The three bills would…

A new International Trade Crossing (ITC) bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan could be delayed if the U.S. government does not come up with funding for a new U.S. customs facility. The Canadian government is prepared to spend $2.1 billion for the new crossing but a $325 million customs facility on the U.S. side of the border may…

Extreme arctic cold weather in the Midwest and Eastern regions of the country this winter has caused shortages of propane, affecting the 14 million Americans who use propane to heat their homes. According to the National Propane Gas Association, the propane shortage crisis was caused by a number of events, including a 2013 rise in…

In his recent State of the Union address, President Barack Obama talked about supporting a new highway bill, improving truck fuel efficiency, building a natural gas fueling infrastructure and addressing labor shortages. But according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the President did not go far enough. ATA leaders were disappointed Obama did not provide…

As Congress returned from its holiday recess, one of the requests members were greeted with is from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the nation’s largest trucking association. “This time of year is a good one for self-reflection and analysis,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “We hope our leaders in Washington will take the…

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking an injunction against California’s Air Resources Board (CARB), saying the board’s Truck and Bus Regulation is unconstitutional and discriminates against out-of-state truckers. “CARB has overstepped its bounds by requiring trucks from other states to be upgraded in order to operate…

Blumenauer’s bill is designed to test a pilot of a transportation funding system that would replace the federal gasoline tax and offset expected revenue losses due to alternative fuel vehicles and higher gas mileage performance. Oregon has been a pioneer in mileage-based user fees, conducting several VMT pilots at the state level. The most recent…

With many states looking to increase global exports, the challenge of moving those goods to port remains a real one. In Idaho, for example, wheat, vegetables and dairy products were among the top agricultural exports in 2012, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. The products were destined for Canada, Mexico, China and Japan….

NEW YORK – A two-year pilot project recently completed by New York City DOT and U.S. DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has found that having trucks make nighttime deliveries is an effective way of combating peak hour congestion. The pilot project was funded with a $1.2 million RITA grant with an additional $640,000…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is planning to conduct a pilot program to study the safety benefits and impacts of increased flexibility in the use of sleeper berth breaks by professional truck drivers. FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro called for proposals last year to see if electronic logs and the latest sleep research could…