Translogistics

7/23/2012 Small Carriers, Brokers Launch Legal Challenge to CSA

By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor

A group of small carriers and brokers asked a federal appeals court to review a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explanation of its CSA safety enforcement program.

The petition for review filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit starts the clock on a legal challenge to CSA’s Safety Measurement System.

It’s the work of the Alliance for Safe, Efficient and Competitive Truck Transportation, a group representing small carriers and brokers, as well as individual companies.

“ASECTT members believe SMS methodology is a work in progress, unapproved for (FMCSA’s) own use in making safety fitness determinations,” said ASECTT President Tom Sanderson in a statement. Sanderson is CEO of Transplace, a third-party logistics provider and broker and a plaintiff in the case.

At issue is a May presentation by FMCSA that explains how CSA works.

ASECTT’s concern is that the agency is administering CSA in a way that “(deputizes) the shipper and broker community with the responsibility of making self-enforced safety fitness determinations under penalty of vicarious liability,” said Sanderson in a July 2 letter to the group’s members.

The group’s objective is to force the agency to determine which carriers are safe to operate, and to remove Safety Management System data from public view.

“With no concern for the effect of (SMS data) publication on shippers and brokers or the false branding of carriers and resulting economic consequences on small businesses, the agency has in effect told the shipping community it cannot rely on the agency to do its statutory job to certify carriers as safe for use,” Sanderson said.

Joining the petition are the Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Association, the Expedite Association of North America, the National Association of Small Trucking Companies and the Transportation Loss Prevention and Security Association.

Also, Allen Lund Co., Bolt Express, BP Express, Carrier Services of Tennessee, Conard Transportation, Des Moines Truck Brokers, Forward Air, Medallion Transport & Logistics, Refrigerated Food Express, Snowman Reliable Express and Triple G Express, as well as Transplace.

Government: Related News

7/24/2012 – Ferro Announces Crash Accountability Research Plans The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is going to take on three central questions in its analysis of the hot-button issue of crash accountability.

Are police accident reports reliable enough to determine accountability? Are the benefits of determining accountability worth the costs – as much as $3 million a year? And how should the agency manage the process, giving the public a chance to participate?… More >
¹

7/23/2012 – Small Carriers, Brokers Launch Legal Challenge to CSA A group of small carriers and brokers asked a federal appeals court to review a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explanation of its CSA safety enforcement program…. More >
²

7/23/2012 – Government Investigating NE Toll Agencies The federal Government Accountability Office is looking into recent toll increases imposed by bi-state agencies on bridges in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, according to published reports…. More >
³

7/20/2012 – FMCSA Plans Changes in Pre-Employment Screening Data The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is planning to make some changes in its handling of data in the Pre-Employment Screening Program…. More >
⁴

7/19/2012 – NHTSA to Hold Hearing on Electronic Stability Control Proposal The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will host a public hearing in Washington, D.C., next week to get reaction to its proposed mandate for electronic stability control systems on heavy-duty trucks and buses…. More >
⁵⁶

7/19/2012 – Maryland Helps Truckers Go Paperless, Offers E-Hauling Permits The Maryland State Highway Administration is now providing truckers a way to carry paperless permits, allowing drivers to display them in electronic format during inspections, replacing traditional paper-issued permits and attachments…. More >
⁷

7/18/2012 – OOIDA Sues FMCSA over Pre-Employment Screening Program The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s pre-employment screening program violates drivers’ rights, claims the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in a lawsuit. OOIDA told the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that under the program, drivers can be in effect found guilty of safety violations before they get due process in court. … More >
⁸

7/13/2012 – FMCSA Posts EOBR FAQ, Says it is Revisiting Cost-Benefit Analysis The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicates it will re-examine the costs-vs-benefits of mandatory electronic onboard recorders in a new list of frequently asked questions it posted this week on its website…. More >
⁹

7/12/2012 – Concerns about CSA Aired at House Hearing Opponents of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA enforcement program took their case to Congress yesterday, charging in a hearing that the program is being misused and harms small carriers…. More >
¹⁰

7/11/2012 – FMCSA Schedule for Crash Accountability Research Due This Month The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is edging closer to action on weighing carrier fault in the CSA safety enforcement database. This month, the agency should announce a research schedule for figuring out how to separate at-fault crashes from not-at-fault crashes when it looks at a carrier’s safety performance…. More >
¹¹

7/9/2012 – EOBR Cut-Off Faces Opposition in Senate A bid by owner-operators to cut off funding for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic onboard recorder rule appears unlikely to pass. Close followers of the issue note that while it is not wise to say “never” in Washington, the cutoff faces stiff opposition in the Senate…. More >
¹²

7/6/2012 – Right to Repair Submits Final Signatures for Ballot Initiative The Right to Repair Coalition today submitted 16,000 signatures to the Massachusetts secretary of state to secure the initiative’s place on the November ballot…. More >
¹³

7/5/2012 – CARB Extends Reporting Deadline for Greenhouse Gas Regulation The California Air Resources Board has extended the reporting deadline to September 1, 2012, for its greenhouse gas tractor-trailer regulation so that small fleets can take advantage of flexibility options…. More >
¹⁴

7/3/2012 – NHTSA Announces Public Hearing on Proposed Stability Control Systems Rule The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a public hearing on the proposed rule for heavy vehicle electronic stability control systems…. More >
¹⁵

7/2/2012 – Congress Passes Highway Bill; House Bill Would Block EOBR Mandate The House and Senate passed the highway reauthorization bill Friday afternoon. The bill easily cleared both chambers: The House vote was 373-52, and the Senate vote was 74-19. It now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it…. More >
¹⁶

6/29/2012 – Agreement Sets New Course for Highway Program It turns out that Congress can compromise after all.

At the last moment, House and Senate negotiators wheeled and dealed their way to a highway agreement in which no one gets everything and everyone gets something…. More >
¹⁷

6/29/2012 – Congress Passes Highway Bill The House and Senate passed the highway reauthorization bill this afternoon. The bill easily cleared both chambers: The House vote was 373-52, and the Senate vote was 74-19. It now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it…. More >
¹⁸

6/28/2012 – Congress Signals Agreement on Highway Bill CORRECTED — Congress appears close to agreement on reauthorization of the federal highway program.

Reports from various sources last evening indicated congressional leaders had a tentative agreement on a two-year bill. It appears that the bill will not include a controversial provision requiring approval of the Keystone XL pipeline…. More >
¹⁹

6/27/2012 – Rep. Issa Challenges EPA on Heavy Truck Fuel Economy Standard The House Oversight Committee is claiming that the California Air Resources Board was too influential in the drafting of federal truck fuel efficiency standards.

Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency that CARB appears to have been “heavily invested and highly involved” in development of the standards for heavy-duty trucks…. More >
²⁰

6/26/2012 – Iowa Waives CDL Drive Skills Test for Military Personnel A new law in Iowa makes it easier for former military personnel to make the switch to a commercial driving career…. More >
²¹

6/22/2012 – DOT, Veterans Affairs Offering Help for Veterans Who Want Transportation Jobs U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki today unveiled a new portal on their departments’ websites designed to help military veterans find jobs in the transportation industry…. More >
²²

6/20/2012 – New EPA Emission Proposal Seen Having Little Impact on Trucking The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed new standard for fine particle pollution is not likely to have much impact on highway trucking, although it could lead to retrofit requirements and anti-idling regulations in a few places…. More >
²³

6/19/2012 – HOS Court Battle Starts Next Month The court battle over the hours-of-service rule gets under way in July, according to a schedule posted last week by the appeals court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has consolidated lawsuits by a number of trucking groups that believe the rule is too restrictive, and by several safety advocacy groups that believe the rule is too liberal…. More >
²⁴

6/18/2012 – FMCSA to Post CSA Study in Response to ATA Request In response to prodding by American Trucking Associations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will release a study of the links between violations and crash risk that it uses in the CSA safety enforcement system…. More >
²⁵

6/14/2012 – Survey: CSA Continued Concern for Carriers and Shippers Carriers are concerned about CSA 2010 regulations, but they have found some of their shippers to be concerned about CSA scores as well, according to Transport Capital Partners’ Second Quarter 2012 Business Expectations Survey. … More >
²⁶

6/14/2012 – OOIDA Says New Out-of-Service Criteria Unconstitutional The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has filed an Order to Show Cause in federal court against the Minnesota State Patrol and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance for the recently amended out-of-service criteria for fatigue…. More >
²⁷

6/14/2012 – Michigan Passes Bill to Dedicate Portion of Fuel Tax to Roads Michigan has passed a bill to dedicate part of its 4-cent sales tax on motor fuel to road improvements, reports The Detroit News…. More >
²⁸²⁹

6/14/2012 – FMCSA Lightens Paperwork Load for Intermodal Drivers The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has lightened the regulatory load for intermodal drivers and equipment providers.

In a final rule this week, the agency said it is no longer necessary for drivers to submit a vehicle inspection report if the intermodal chassis has no defects. Chassis providers will not have to keep those reports, either…. More >
³⁰

6/14/2012 – EPA Outlines SmartWay Verification Program for Retreaded Tires The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a verification program for retreaded tires used on Class 8 line-haul trucks. Once a retreaded tire receives EPA certification, fleets using those tires will be compliant with CARB regulations for low-rolling-resistance tires…. More >
³¹

6/13/2012 – ATA Demands FMCSA Release Study Used to Develop CSA Scoring System American Trucking Associations is calling on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to release a study of the links between violations and crash risk used to develop its methodology for assigning carriers’ scores in its monitoring and measurement system: Compliance, Safety, Accountability…. More >
³²

6/13/2012 – Court Rules for Navistar Competitors in Clean Air Case In a victory for Navistar’s competitors, a federal court said that the Environmental Protection Agency should not have allowed Navistar to pay penalties on engines that don’t meet clean air standards…. More >
³³

6/12/2012 – Court Throws Out EPA Rule Allowing Navistar to Keep Making Engines A federal appeals court has ruled that Navistar’s business plight was not a good enough reason for the Environmental Protection Agency to allow Navistar continue selling engines that don’t meet EPA’s 2010 emissions rules simply by paying fines…. More >
³⁴

6/6/2012 – DOT: Trucks Hauling Sand, Water for Fracking Not Exempt from HOS Rules Truck drivers hauling water and sand to U.S. oil and natural gas shale drilling sites don’t qualify for a special oil-field service equipment exemption to extend their daily driving hours. … More >
³⁵

6/6/2012 – Massachusetts Right to Repair Surpasses Ballot Petition Goal The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition achieved its final goal of attaining 20,000 voter signatures in its ballot campaign, well above the 11,000 required. The final batch of certified signatures will be delivered to the state Secretary of State’s office ahead of the early-July deadline…. More >
³⁶

6/6/2012 – FMCSA Extends Comment Period for SMS Preview The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is giving carriers more time to comment on the proposed changes to its Safety Measurement System. … More >
³⁷

6/5/2012 – ATA Pushes for FMCSA Response on Crash Accountability The American Trucking Associations continues to prod the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to change its approach to measuring crash accountability in its CSA safety enforcement program. Yesterday, the association challenged the agency to release a study it has done on the feasibility of using police reports to gauge crash accountability…. More >
³⁸

6/4/2012 – FMCSA Proposes HOS Guidance for Oilfield Haulers Oil and gas drilling is booming these days, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing to revisit its hours-of-service guidance for carriers that serve the business…. More >
³⁹

6/1/2012 – ATA Tells Congress Security Efforts Must Be Risk Based While testifying on the Transportation Security Administration’s Surface Transportation Inspection Program, Phil Byrd, president of Bulldog Hiway Express, Charleston, S.C., and vice chairman of American Trucking Associations, told the congressional subcommittee that efforts to secure the nation’s transportation system should be deployed based on specific and credible intelligence…. More >
⁴⁰

6/1/2012 – FMCSA Safety Crackdown Closes 26 Bus Operations The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shut down 26 bus operations running passenger service on I-95 between New York City and Florida, the latest in a series of enforcement crackdowns on truck and bus companies…. More >
⁴¹

5/30/2012 – FMCSA Extends Time for Comments on Proposed Safety Measurement System The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced a 60-day extension of the time that motor carriers have to comment on proposed improvements to the agency’s proposed Safety Measurement System. The comment period now runs through July 30…. More >
⁴²⁴³

5/24/2012 – Major Trucking Players React Positively to NHTSA’s Stability Control Proposal The American Trucking Associations issued a statement praising the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed requirement for electronic stability control on large trucks…. More >
⁴⁴

5/24/2012 – Associations Lobby Highway Bill Conferees to Address Trucking’s Needs Leaders of American Trucking Associations asked members of the conference committee currently negotiating on the highway bill to address several critical issues for the trucking industry — one of them calling for electronic onboard recorders, which the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and a coalition of other groups are lobbying against. … More >
⁴⁵

5/24/2012 – FMCSA Offers Consumers Moving Company Checklist The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the launch of a new “Consumer Checklist” to assist consumers in choosing a responsible interstate moving company and protecting themselves from fraudulent or dishonest household goods movers…. More >
⁴⁶

5/23/2012 – U.S. and Mexican Officials to Identify Needed Border-Crossing Projects U.S. and Mexican officials are meeting today as a first effort to decide where new border crossings and connecting roads may be necessary,… More >
⁴⁷

5/22/2012 – Mass. Right to Repair Bill Jumps First Hurdle A little more than a month after consumers and neighborhood repairers packed a Massachusetts State House hearing room to urge passage of the Right to Repair legislation, the State Senate late Thursday evening strongly approved the measure…. More >
⁴⁸

5/21/2012 – Three more Mexican carriers in line for cross-border service Three additional Mexican carriers have cleared a pre-authorization safety audit for long-distance service across the border and are waiting for authority to join the three carriers already operating…. More >
⁴⁹

5/17/2012 – NHTSA Proposes Stability Control Mandate The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a first-ever federal motor vehicle safety standard to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on large commercial trucks and buses…. More >
⁵⁰

5/16/2012 – ND DOT Adopts Federal Guidelines for Former Military Drivers The North Dakota Department of Transportation is now allowing members of the military to apply commercial driving experience obtained while in the military to acquire a North Dakota CDL…. More >
⁵¹

5/16/2012 – FMCSA Posts 2012-2016 Strategic Plan The core of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s strategic plan for the next five years is to press ahead with rules and reforms it already has under way…. More >
⁵²

5/15/2012 – Virginia DMV “Troops to Trucks” Program Puts Veterans to Work Through the new Troops to Trucks program, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is joining forces with the military and transportation-related businesses to put former servicemen and women and National Guard and Reserves members to work in the transportation industry…. More >
⁵³

5/14/2012 – Highway Bill Conferees Face Daunting Schedule House and Senate conferees last week began work on the highway bill under considerable pressure of time and necessity.

Counting today, the conferees have 19 working days left before the current extension expires June 30. Their staffs, who do much of the detail work in the conference process, probably will be working close to 24-7…. More >
⁵⁴

5/11/2012 – CARB Urges Tractor-Trailer Owners to Register Early for Flexibility The California Air Resources Board is encouraging small fleet owners of 2010 and older model year 53-foot or longer box-type trailers that operate on California highways to report vehicle information now to gain additional time to comply with the Tractor-Trailer Greenhouse Gas regulation…. More >
⁵⁵

5/11/2012 – DOT Simplifies Stop Sign Regs The Obama Administration is eliminating 46 regulations on traffic signs to provide more flexibility for state and local governments, including allowing communities to replace traffic signs when they are worn out rather than requiring signs to be replaced by a specific date…. More >
⁵⁶

5/11/2012 – Carriers Can Preview Proposed CSA Safety Measurement System Changes The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has updated the CSA Safety Measurement System website and the SMS Preview website. Carriers can log in to to CSA’s Safety Measurement System site to preview the first package of proposed changes through two websites:… More >
⁵⁷

5/9/2012 – Teamsters Endorse Obama in 2012 Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced the union’s endorsement of President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012. Hoffa made the official announcement to more than 1,500 Teamster members attending the union’s annual conference in Las Vegas this week…. More >
⁵⁸

5/9/2012 – ATA’s Graves Not Optimistic about Highway Bill The country has a lot on the line in the current negotiations over the highway bill, but Bill Graves, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, is not optimistic that Congress will do what needs to be done…. More >
⁵⁹

5/8/2012 – Motor Carriers Asked to Weigh in on CSA This week, the American Transportation Research Institute launched its second annual motor carrier survey to identify CSA impacts on trucking operations, as well as carrier perceptions and attitudes toward FMCSA’s maturing regulatory program…. More >
⁶⁰

5/8/2012 – Stability Control Proposal Nearing Publication A proposal to require stability control systems on heavy-duty tractors is nearing publication. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal has been cleared by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the last step in the review process…. More >
⁶¹

5/8/2012 – Industry and Safety Groups Press for Recorder Mandate Trucking and safety interests are pressing congressional negotiators to include an electronic onboard recorder mandate in the highway bill they are drafting. In a letter to leaders of the House-Senate conference committee, industry interest groups strongly urged that the mandate be kept in the bill…. More >
⁶²

5/5/2012 – CSA Data May Indicate Move by Drivers to Independent Owner-Operators Federal safety data indicate that carrier registrations have jumped by 7.5% over the past 14 months, possibly reflecting a move by drivers to go into business for themselves, according to an analysis by QualifiedCarriers, a risk management services provider to shippers…. More >
⁶³

5/4/2012 – Fuel Economy Standards Could Reduce Transportation Funds by $57 Billion Proposed fuel economy standards could result in a $57 billion drop in tax revenue that goes to federal transportation funds, says the Congressional Budget Office.

New CAFE standards (or corporate average fuel economy standards), proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency in 2011, would tighten fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles manufactured from 2017 to 2025…. More >
⁶⁴

4/30/2012 – FMCSA Cracks Down on Reincarnated Carriers A new rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration makes it tougher for carriers that have been sanctioned to reincarnate themselves under a new identity.

The agency last week posted a final rule that changes its procedures in several areas affecting truck lines, intermodal equipment providers, brokers, freight forwards and hazmat proceedings…. More >
⁶⁵⁶⁶

4/30/2012 – New Jersey Congressmen Call for Suspension in Toll Hikes Several New Jersey Congressmen asked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to delay a second round of toll hikes scheduled for December until the agency can prove it has its finances in order, reports New Jersey’s Star-Ledger⁶⁷.

“The planned toll hikes should be suspended until an external audit determines that the audit recommendations have been addressed,” wrote U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in a letter… More >
⁶⁸

4/27/2012 – Highway Bill Conferees Face Tough Funding Issues but Share Some Common Ground on Policy The House and Senate have chosen their conferees for negotiations on the highway bill. They have until June 30 to work out a deal or pass another extension.

The conferees’ toughest challenge will be to agree on the duration and funding of the bill, but their portfolio includes numerous important policy issues, including truck safety and program reforms at the Department of Transportation…. More >
⁶⁹

4/26/2012 – ATA, OOIDA Square Off on EOBR Debate In advance of the upcoming conference committee meetings on the surface transportation bill, the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association are urging passage or rejection (respectively) of the Senate’s EOBR requirement…. More >
⁷⁰

4/25/2012 – Transport Experts Say Public Must Push Congress to Act on Highways Congress can’t do its job on the highway bill, so the public is going to have to take the lead, says a group of infrastructure experts including five former secretaries of transportation.

The federal highway program is now running on its ninth temporary extension because Congress will not compromise on how to pay for it, said the 60 experts brought together by the University Virginia’s Miller Center…. More >
⁷¹

4/23/2012 – FMCSA Withdraws Sleep Apnea Proposal FMCSA apparently jumped the gun with its Friday announcement that it proposed to adopt the recommendations of two advisory panels for tougher sleep apnea guidelines…. More >
⁷²⁷³

4/20/2012 – No Clear Answers on Highway Bill House passage of another 90-day extension of the highway program sets the stage for another nail-biter.

Including today, there are 31 working days left before the current extension expires. The extension the House passed on Wednesday would give the House and Senate until the end of the fiscal year in September to negotiate the details of a highway bill that lasts longer than 90 days…. More >
⁷⁴

4/20/2012 – FMCSA Proposes Guidance for Sleep Apnea The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing tougher standards for sleep apnea evaluation. The agency is adopting the recommendations of two advisory panels, one from the medical community and one representing industry, enforcement, labor and safety advocacy interests, for how medical examiners should evaluate the condition…. More >
⁷⁵

4/20/2012 – Employee Misclassification Report No Good, Says New York State Motor Truck Association A new report published by the Drum Major Institute claims to illustrate widespread abuse through the misclassification of employees in the truck transportation industry. The New York Motor Truck Association, however, says this report is just a tool the Teamsters Union is using… More >
⁷⁶

4/19/2012 – N.J. Trucking Executive Warns Senate on the True Cost of Tolls In testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, NFI Chief Financial Officer Steve Grabell warned that rapidly increasing toll rates, as well as the spread of tolls across the country, are a threat to consumers and to the trucking industry…. More >
⁷⁷

4/19/2012 – New Rule Will Create Registry of Certified Medical Examiners Truck safety regulators are about to post a new, long-awaited rule aimed at shoring up driver medical standards.

The rule will require those who perform medical exams for drivers to be trained, tested and certified to a national standard. It also will create a national online registry of examiners who have met the certification requirement…. More >
⁷⁸

4/19/2012 – House Passes Another Highway Bill Extension, Heads to Conference Committee Once again, the U.S. House of Representatives has kicked the can down the road on highway funding. Despite a presidential veto threat, the Republican legislation extended transportation funding through September — the 10th such extension — and mandates construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline…. More >
⁷⁹

4/17/2012 – Canada Aligns GHG Emissions Regs with U.S. Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent announced Canada’s alignment with the U.S. regulations for heavy-duty vehicle and engine greenhouse gas emissions for 2014 and later…. More >
⁸⁰

4/17/2012 – N.J. Owner-Operators Need IRS Determination for Non-Employee Status UPDATED — A number of New Jersey fleets have discovered the hard way — with fines to the tune of $800,000 — that the New Jersey Department of Labor now requires owner-operators to first prove that the Internal Revenue Service already deemed them independent contractors before the state will allow an employee exemption…. More >
⁸¹

4/16/2012 – California Court Says Employers Must Offer 30-Minute Meal Breaks California trucking companies will be required to give drivers a 30-minute meal period within the first five hours of driving, according to the California Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brinker v. Superior Court. … More >
⁸²

4/13/2012 – Truck Dealer of the Year Nominee Educates Nebraska Rep. on Natural Gas U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., visited Omaha Truck Centers, owned by dealer Trey Mytty, to learn more about natural gas in the commercial vehicle industry…. More >
⁸³⁸⁴⁸⁵

4/13/2012 – FMCSA Wants to Study Overweight Trucks’ Connection to Safety The DOT wants to better understand the safety performance of overweight vehicles — both permitted and illegally overloaded — so it is looking for state agencies to work with in a study of the issue…. More >
⁸⁶

4/13/2012 – Study Finds Few Effects from Diesel Exhaust from EPA-07 Engines The first results of what is said to be the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the health effects of exposure to new technology diesel engines has found no evidence of gene-damaging effects in the animals studied, and only a few mild effects on the lungs, according to a report issued by the Health Effects Institute…. More >
⁸⁷

4/10/2012 – FMCSA Shuts Down J&A Transportation The U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared New Jersey-based J&A Transportation Inc. an imminent hazard to public safety, and ordered the trucking company to shut down its operations…. More >
⁸⁸

4/9/2012 – New Rule for Medical Examiners Nearing Publication A final rule to establish a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners is close to publication.

The rule was cleared last week by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the last stage before publication in the Federal Register…. More >
⁸⁹

4/5/2012 – Three Oregon Ports of Entry to Switch to Phone-based Services The Oregon Motor Carrier Transportation Division is closing its registration offices at three ports of entry and replacing over-the-counter services with phones and fax machines truck drivers can use for registration and over-dimension permit services…. More >
⁹⁰⁹¹

3/30/2012 – No Highway Bill, So Congress Extends Program for 90 Days Congress yesterday passed a 90-day extension of the federal highway program, the ninth extension since the program formally expired in October 2009…. More >
⁹²

3/30/2012 – Nasstrac Joins HOS Legal Battle Nasstrac, the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council, has joined in the legal efforts to challenge a lawsuit regarding reduced daily driving hours for truckers, reports the Journal of Commerce…. More >
^93949596

3/28/2012 – CSA Changes Available for Review The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is previewing a half-dozen important changes it plans to make in the CSA safety enforcement system.

In the announcement in yesterday’s Federal Register, the agency also discussed a controversial decision it recently made to back away from plans to clarify crash accountability data in CSA…. More >
⁹⁷⁹⁸

3/27/2012 – FMCSA Urged to Step Up Effort Against Reincarnated Carriers The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration could step up its effort to catch reincarnated carriers by making better use of the data it has, according to the Government Accountability Office…. More >
⁹⁹

3/26/2012 – FMCSA Officials Get Input on EOBRs at Mid-America Trucking Show LOUISVILLE, KY — Officials with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration got an earful Friday about a number of issues relating to hours of service, electronic onboard recorders, and how trucking companies use EOBRs and other in-cab technologies to harass drivers…. More >
¹⁰⁰

3/22/2012 – House Will Push Highway Extension The House, unable to resolve internal differences regarding its five-year, $260 billion highway bill and opposed to the Senate’s two-year, $109 billion measure, is going to push for a three-month extension of the current program…. More >
¹⁰¹

3/22/2012 – Cummins to Have 2014-compliant Engines in Service by 2013 LOUISVILLE, KY — Cummins Inc. says it will be ready to ship its full line-up 2014-compliant heavy-duty diesel and natural gas engines a full year ahead of deadline, and they’ll feature improved reliability and fuel economy…. More >
¹⁰²

3/21/2012 – ATA: Common Sense Must Govern CSA Crash Accountability Decisions American Trucking Associations‘ leaders expressed serious concern over the recent decision by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to continue to count every truck-involved crash in CSA scores, including those the truck driver could not have prevented…. More >
^103104105106

3/16/2012 – ATA, TCA File Issue Statements with Court in HOS Challenge The American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association each filed motions to intervene with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in litigation challenging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recently published hours-of-service regulations…. More >
^107108109

3/15/2012 – Dealer Plans to Participate in New Wisconsin Job-Training Program Peterbilt dealer JX Enterprises hosted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as he signed Assembly Bill 450, popularly known as Wisconsin Wins, into law this week…. More >
¹¹⁰¹¹¹

3/15/2012 – Senate Passes Highway Bill, 74-22 In an unusual display of bipartisanship, the Senate passed a two-year, $109 billion highway bill by a vote of 74 to 22.

All of the Senate’s Democrats and half of its Republicans voted for the bill…. More >
¹¹²

3/14/2012 – Senate Close to Passing Highway Bill The Senate is close to passing a two-year, $109 billion highway bill that could become a model for what the House will do with its transportation legislation.

The bill, called Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), would streamline the federal transportation program, accelerate project delivery, eliminate earmarks, increase financing resources and fund improvements in freight distribution…. More >
¹¹³

3/12/2012 – FMCSA Stops Plan to Determine Accountability in CSA Crash Data The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week reversed course on a long-planned correction in its CSA safety enforcement system.

The agency was close to proposing a way for carriers to get an assessment of fault in the crashes used to determine their safety rating, but on Thursday Anne Ferro told industry representatives that the agency will not go ahead after all…. More >
¹¹⁴

3/9/2012 – House May Default to Senate’s Highway Bill House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday gave the clearest indication yet that Congress will go with a short-term highway bill like the one the Senate is close to passing.

“The current plan is to see what the Senate can produce… More >
¹¹⁵

3/9/2012 – ATD Study: EPA Grossly Underestimated Emissions Systems Costs A report released yesterday by The National Automobile Dealers Association and American Truck Dealers questions the Environmental Protection Agency’s cost analysis of 2004-2010 emissions control mandates. Data collected by ATD shows EPA’s cost estimates were off by a factor of between two and five…. More >
¹¹⁶

3/8/2012 – Obama Visits DTNA Truck Plant, Addresses Energy Issues President Barack Obama toured Daimler Trucks North America‘s Mount Holly, N.C., manufacturing plant Wednesday and spoke on alternative fuel technologies while praising DTNA’s commitment to natural gas…. More >
¹¹⁷¹¹⁸

3/8/2012 – Volvo Trucks First U.S. Manufacturer to Achieve Dual Energy Certifications Volvo Trucks‘ New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va., is the first U.S. facility to be certified to the ISO 50001 standards under a pilot program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy…. More >
^119120121

3/7/2012 – Obama to Visit North Carolina Daimler Trucks Plant President Obama will visit a Daimler Trucks North America plant in North Carolina today, where he’s expected to tout the economy, job growth and fuel-efficiency standards…. More >
¹²²¹²³

3/2/2012 – New Jersey Bill Would Make Owner-Operators Employees A proposed New Jersey bill, A1578/S1450, dubbed the “Truck Operator Independent Contractor Act,” seeks to define drayage and parcel delivery owner-operators as employees of the companies they provide services for, rather than independent contractors…. More >
¹²⁴

3/2/2012 – Movement but Not Much Progress on Highway Bill As the Senate lumbers through debate on its highway bill, and the House considers changes to its approach, the outcome may be a short-term surface transportation program that preserves funding near current levels. … More >
¹²⁵

2/29/2012 – ATA Files Brief in Support of FMCSA on EOBR Challenge American Trucking Associations filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief on Feb. 24 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in support of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration‘s defense of electronic logging devices…. More >
^126127128

2/27/2012 – Safety Groups Go to Court Over New HOS Rule The federal rule for truck driver hours of service still fails to make needed improvements regarding tired truckers… More >
¹²⁹

2/27/2012 – New York Motor Truck Says ‘Fair Play Act’ Anything But Legislation has been introduced in both the New York State Senate and the Assembly to address the “misclassification” of truck drivers as independent contractors. However, the legislation would be so far-reaching, it would “effectively eliminate the owner-operator business model the trucking industry has been using for over 70 years,” according to the New York State Motor Truck Association…. More >
¹³⁰

2/24/2012 – ATA Seeks Change in New Tank Vehicle Definition American Trucking Associations says the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new definition of a “tank vehicle” is too expansive and needs to be changed…. More >
¹³¹

2/23/2012 – EOBR Listening Session Set for Mid-America Trucking Show The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will host a listening session at the Mid-America Trucking Show on how electronic onboard recorders might be used to harass drivers. The session, scheduled for 10 a.m. March 23 at the show site in Louisville, Ky., is part of the agency’s revised approach to writing a new EOBR rule…. More >
¹³²

2/23/2012 – New Definition of Tank Vehicle Will Affect CDL Endorsement Requirement A change in the official definition of a “tank vehicle” has led to confusion about who needs a tank truck endorsement on a commercial driver’s license…. More >
¹³³

2/17/2012 – DOT Proposes ‘Distraction’ Guidelines for Automakers The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the first-ever federally proposed guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices…. More >
¹³⁴¹³⁵

2/17/2012 – EPA Challenges Navistar Engine Claims The Environmental Protection Agency believes that Navistar violated engine certification requirements and may file a complaint that could lead to a fine. The agency signaled its intent in a certified letter to Navistar Jan. 30,… More >
¹³⁶

2/16/2012 – Truckstops Fight Amendment in Highway Bill (UPDATED) Truckstop and convenience store interests are opposed to a provision of the House transportation bill that would allow states to privatize interstate rest areas…. More >
¹³⁷

2/15/2012 – Nearly 70 Transportation Associations Sign Letter Opposing Tolls Sixty-eight transportation associations signed a letter to the Senate opposing the use of tolls on the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the Senate’s version of the Surface Transportation Bill (S. 1813)…. More >
¹³⁸¹³⁹

2/15/2012 – Highway Bills Face Uphill Climb in Congress The Senate and House are taking their highway bills to the floor this week in the face of daunting odds. Passage of this key infrastructure legislation, which sets policy and funding levels, is going to be a near thing at best, given the politics of the bills and considering the March 31 deadline. … More >
¹⁴⁰

2/15/2012 – ATA Suing to Overturn Hours of Service Rule American Trucking Associations is suing to overturn the new hours of service rule. ATA is asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to set aside the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule as arbitrary and capricious…. More >
¹⁴¹

2/14/2012 – FMCSA Plans a Third Proposal to Answer EOBR Questions The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration decided to take a step back from its pending electronic onboard recorder rules and begin a supplemental process to resolve legal and technical problems…. More >
¹⁴²

2/14/2012 – Obama’s 2013 Budget Calls for Major Transportation Funding The White House budget for the fiscal 2013 includes a $476 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill to invest in highway, bridge and mass transit projects through 2018…. More >
¹⁴³

2/13/2012 – New York DMV to Waive Road Tests for Veterans Applying for CDLs As part of his “Experience Counts” campaign to help returning veterans get jobs in New York State, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo implemented two initiatives, one of which waives commercial driver’s license road tests for veterans with qualifying driving experience…. More >
¹⁴⁴

2/9/2012 – Senate Committee Clears Highway Funding Measure The Senate Finance Committee Tuesday evening passed a bill to provide funding for a two-year highway program.

The measure is a $9.6 billion bundle of transfers and revenue offsets that no one on the committee particularly liked as a solution to the highway funding shortfall but a majority accepted because failure to act would doom the highway bill…. More >
¹⁴⁵

2/7/2012 – Senate to Vote on Highway Funding Proposal Today the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on revenue provisions to supplement the Highway Trust Fund and pay for the Senate’s proposed highway bill.

Passage of the measure will put in place a key provision for the Senate’s plan to reauthorize the federal highway program with a $109 billion, two-year bill. The House, meanwhile, is working on a $260 billion, five-year bill. … More >
¹⁴⁶

2/6/2012 – House Highway Bill Clears Committee on Party-Line Vote The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee did its job last week, reporting out a bill that would reauthorize the federal transportation program for five years at current funding levels. It was a squeaker, though, and the outlook for Congress finishing the job before the current program expires on March 31 is not rosy…. More >
¹⁴⁷

2/3/2012 – House Panel Kills Truck Weight Increase An increase in federal truck size and weight limits did not survive a House committee vote yesterday. Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 33 to 22
to study the increased limit, rather than actually increasing it…. More >
¹⁴⁸

2/2/2012 – House Highway Bill Challenges Hours of Service Restart Provision In the House highway bill unveiled yesterday, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., finally revealed what he meant when he said he will challenge the new hours of service rule. The bill could force the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to rewrite the 34-hour restart provision of the rule, which limits the restart to once a week with two sleep periods from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m…. More >
¹⁴⁹

2/1/2012 – House Highway Bill Would Allow Heavier Trucks The House of Representatives yesterday unveiled its version of a new highway program that would spend $260 billion over five years. The bill trims the Department of Transportation by consolidating or eliminating programs, gives states a greater say in how they spend federal money and speeds up the project approval process…. More >
¹⁵⁰

1/31/2012 – EPA Sets Penalties for Emissions Non-Compliance Navistar Inc. may have to pay penalties of up to $1,900 per engine if it cannot meet heavy diesel emission standards, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency rule…. More >
¹⁵¹

1/30/2012 – BTS Releases Interactive State Transportation Facts and Figures The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics released State Transportation Facts and Figures, an interactive web transportation mapping application that allows customers to find and download state-by-state transportation data, comparisons and rankings…. More >
¹⁵²¹⁵³

1/30/2012 – Hours of Service: Did FMCSA Find a Sweet Spot? Almost no one is happy about the new hours of service rule. Maybe that means the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made the moves that will lead to stability, at long last.

Or maybe not…. More >
¹⁵⁴

1/26/2012 – Carriers Responding to New Health Care Costs More than 80% of carriers report that recent health care changes will adversely affect them, according to the recent fourth quarter national Business Expectations Survey by Transport Capital Partners…. More >
¹⁵⁵¹⁵⁶

1/26/2012 – FMCSA Clarifies Push-to-Talk Guidance FMCSA released updated FAQs on its new handheld mobile telephone ban to clarify that the use of the push-to-talk function on mobile phones is permitted, under certain limited conditions…. More >
¹⁵⁷¹⁵⁸

1/26/2012 – House Readies Highway Bill House Republicans will introduce a highway bill next week, said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Mica’s announcement followed President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address for funding the highway program with money not spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…. More >
¹⁵⁹

References

1. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
2. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
3. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
4. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
5. ^{^} public hearing (www.federalregister.gov)
6. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
7. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
8. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
9. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
10. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
11. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
12. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
13. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
14. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
15. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
16. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
17. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
18. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
19. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
20. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
21. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
22. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
23. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
24. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
25. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
26. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
27. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
28. ^{^} reports The Detroit News (www.detroitnews.com)
29. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
30. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
31. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
32. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
33. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
34. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
35. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
36. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
37. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
38. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
39. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
40. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
41. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
42. ^{^} proposed Safety Measurement System (www.truckinginfo.com)
43. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
44. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
45. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
46. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
47. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
48. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
49. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
50. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
51. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
52. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
53. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
54. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
55. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
56. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
57. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
58. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
59. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
60. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
61. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
62. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
63. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
64. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
65. ^{^} final rule (www.gpo.gov)
66. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
67. ^{^} New Jersey’s Star-Ledger (www.nj.com)
68. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
69. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
70. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
71. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
72. ^{^} Friday announcement (truckinginfo.com)
73. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
74. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
75. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
76. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
77. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
78. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
79. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
80. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
81. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
82. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
83. ^{^} U.S. Rep. Lee Terry (leeterry.house.gov)
84. ^{^} Omaha Truck Centers (www.e-freightliner.com)
85. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
86. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
87. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
88. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
89. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
90. ^{^} Oregon Motor Carrier Transportation Division (www.oregon.gov)
91. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
92. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
93. ^{^} Nasstrac (www.nasstrac.org)
94. ^{^} lawsuit regarding reduced daily driving hours (www.truckinginfo.com)
95. ^{^} Journal of Commerce (www.joc.com)
96. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
97. ^{^} Federal Register, (www.gpo.gov)
98. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
99. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
100. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
101. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
102. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
103. ^{^} American Trucking Associations (www.trucking.org)
104. ^{^} recent decision (truckinginfo.com)
105. ^{^} Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www.fmcsa.dot.gov)
106. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
107. ^{^} American Trucking Associations ( http)
108. ^{^} Truckload Carriers Association (www.truckload.org)
109. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
110. ^{^} JX Enterprises (www.jxe.com)
111. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
112. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
113. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
114. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
115. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
116. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
117. ^{^} Daimler Trucks North America (www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com)
118. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
119. ^{^} Volvo Trucks (www.urlhere.com)
120. ^{^} New River Valley assembly plant (www.volvotrucks.com)
121. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
122. ^{^} Daimler Trucks North America (www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com)
123. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
124. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
125. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
126. ^{^} American Trucking Associations (www.truckline.com)
127. ^{^} Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www.fmcsa.dot.gov)
128. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
129. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
130. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
131. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
132. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
133. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
134. ^{^} The U.S. Department of Transportation (www.dot.gov)
135. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
136. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
137. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
138. ^{^} letter to the Senate (www.truckload.org)
139. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
140. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
141. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
142. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
143. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
144. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
145. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
146. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
147. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
148. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
149. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
150. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
151. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
152. ^{^} State Transportation Facts and Figures (gis.rita.dot.gov)
153. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
154. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
155. ^{^} Transport Capital Partners (www.transportcap.com)
156. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
157. ^{^} FMCSA (www.fmcsa.dot.gov)
158. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)
159. ^{^} More > (www.truckinginfo.com)