Tag Archive for ‘transportation’

Note to Congress: Rein in Destructive Commodity Derivatives Trading

Last Wednesday, I spoke on behalf of American Trucking Associations (ATA) at a press conference sponsored by the Derivatives Reform Alliance. This organization is advocating for tougher regulation of commodity derivatives trading, which includes crude oil and refined products like diesel fuel.
If that sounds like some arcane financial manipulation practice, you’re right. But it affects [...]

Trucks and Rails: A New Era of Cooperation?

The message from BNSF Railway Group Vice President Stephen Branscum was strikingly positive. In a recent letter to Transport Topics magazine, he cited as accurate “BNSF’s willingness to work with shippers and American Trucking Associations to develop progressive changes to TS&W (truck size and weight) rules for the betterment of our nation’s transportation system . [...]

I-80: A Heavy Toll

Soon the Secretary of Transportation will decide whether Pennsylvania can toll I-80.  In the end there is only one choice, but it’s not an easy decision because several good things might come from tolls on I-80.  First, Pennsylvania could fund maintenance on I-80 and other Pennsylvania roads.  Prior to Act 44, Pennsylvania’s annual maintenance shortfall [...]

Port Trucking Proposal Threatens Deregulation

A long-running battle over reducing diesel emissions from port drayage trucks has turned into a serious threat to nearly 30 years of trucking deregulation.
Several years ago an alliance of union and environmental groups threatened to make it politically impossible for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to expand unless they cracked down hard [...]

The Knee Bone’s Connected to the Thigh Bone

A day does not go by in Washington without legislation intended to fix one problem ultimately affecting a host of other issues. It’s the principle of unintended consequences, and a fact of life in our complex world where everything has become so interconnected. Nowhere is this more evident than the transportation industry, which touches our [...]

FRA Fuel Efficiency Study Lacks Real-World Merits

The recent fuel efficiency report by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) derives conclusions that may look good on paper, but they offer limited real-world application and misrepresent the ability of railroads to provide a more fuel efficient alternative to trucking. While there is clearly some competition between trucks and railroads, the two modes of transportation [...]

Distracted Driving: Gotta Text? Pull Over!

I was talking to a Con-way Freight driver the other day and we got on the subject of distracted drivers. It really lit him up. “It’s getting worse,” he told me, shaking his head in despair. “If it’s not someone distracted on a cell phone, it’s somebody else trying to read or send a text [...]

‘Greener’ Transportation Shouldn’t Jeopardize Highway Fund

In their discourse over climate change legislation, lawmakers continue to propose reduced vehicle travel as a strategy to lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The transportation industry must further its commitment to the environment, but impeding our nation’s mobility by enacting policies to limit growth in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) should not be [...]

Taking Smart Highways from the Lab to the Asphalt

I recently attended the Intellidrive USA Working Group meeting, which was held October 29th – 30th in Detroit.  It was an opportunity for IntelliDrive partners and stakeholders to discuss future plans, as well as ways to increase stakeholder involvement.
IntelliDriveSM is a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative focused on advancing connectivity between vehicles and road infrastructure, [...]

How Would Cap and Trade Affect Transportation?

Cap and trade, as envisioned by the Obama Administration and Congressmen Waxman and Markey, will do grave damage to all transportation sectors. While the Administration proposed a 14% reduction in greenhouse gas levels by 2020 from 2005, the Waxman/Markey draft bill mandates a 20% reduction, going to a 42% reduction by 2030.