News

Appearing before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Appeals Court in early March, the U.S. DOT testified that federal preemption does not prevent California’s meal-and-rest regulations from applying to truck drivers. “The California law is squarely within the states’ traditional power to regulate the employment relationship and to protect worker health and safety. Moreover, it is a…

The U.S. and Canada recently launched a pilot program that allows American customs officers to inspect U.S.-bound cargo trucks still in Canada; a move both countries hope will smooth the flow of goods at the borders. The pilot, launched in late February at the Peace Bridge linking Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario, is…

With the U.S. Highway Trust Fund heading toward insolvency, Congress and the trucking industry are lining up on opposite sides of a battle over tolls on American interstate highways. The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (AFTI) is an anti-tolling group that includes trucking industry members FedEx, UPS, Old Dominion, the American Trucking Associations, all 50 state…

President Barack Obama recently directed his administration to issue the next round of fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for medium to heavy-duty vehicles by March 2016. Obama said the action would benefit the economy through lower consumer costs and the development of new technologies. The new standards will mean “thousands of dollars in savings…

A Mexican trucking trade association has filed for arbitration against the U.S. seeking $30 billion for non-compliance with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by not fully opening its borders for truck trade. Mexico’s CANACAR transport association says 30,000 Mexican truckers have been affected by the closed border and have signed onto the group’s…

Still clawing its way of out of a recessionary period, the U.S. economy continues to make a slow climb back to health. Unemployment moved lower in January but job growth is weakening, according to new U.S. Labor Department figures. Payrolls increased by 113,000 jobs in January, better than a December gain of 75,000, but less…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced a proposed rule to establish a drug and alcohol clearinghouse for all CDL holders. FMCSA says the clearinghouse would help improve roadway safety by making it easier to determine whether a truck or bus driver is prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle for failing to comply…

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…