Tag Archive for ‘truck’

Increasing Truck Productivity — The Time to Act is Now

The long-awaited federal Highway Reauthorization legislation is set to move forward this fall giving Congress the opportunity to modernize American truck weight limits and facilitate economic growth just when we need it most. Lawmakers are expected to begin drafting the Reauthorization proposal, which will fund our transportation network for the next few years. In this [...]

Guest blogger NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman: Hitting the Road with Professional Women Drivers

This blog post by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman, originally appeared in  “NTSB Safety Compass” on March 31st. Late on Wednesday, I hit the road on a two-day, four-state journey from Washington, D.C. My final destination is Louisville, Kentucky, and the 2011 Mid-America Trucking Show, the world’s largest forum for the heavy trucking [...]

You Have to Ask Yourself Why?

A few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a regulatory proposal that would revise the hours-of-service (HOS) requirements for commercial truck drivers. Why you ask? In October 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) signed an HOS litigation settlement agreement with the Teamsters Union and Public Citizen. [...]

Train Robbery?

This fall, when President Obama supported the decision by Maine and Vermont to extend higher truck weight allowances on their highways, it was a vote for increasing the productivity of trucking on these states’ highways. Bill Graves, president of ATA, added context to the importance of this decision: “Existing restrictions on truck weight limits constrain [...]

Obama’s Infrastructure Investment Proposal – Good Vision, But Where’s the Money?

Since President Obama introduced his new — and massive — infrastructure investment proposal last month, the initiative has been making headlines nationwide. Though we welcome his attention to the issue, it’s difficult not to wonder: Why now and why wasn’t this more of a priority in the stimulus package? Though there are many strong opinions [...]

Kraft Foods Shows Congress Truck Weight Reform is a Smart Delivery

New federal legislation presents a unique opportunity to safely improve the efficiency and sustainability of truck shipments. The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA), now pending in both the House and Senate, would give states the option to set interstate weight limits of up to 97,000 pounds for trucks equipped with a sixth axle. Without [...]

Several Truths About Modal Competition in the United States

Truth #1: Truckers and railroaders do not get along.  I sometimes like to pose provocative questions to groups of truckers or railroaders (but not both together) to watch the impassioned discussion that ensues. Truth #2: Demand for transportation was rising steadily before the recent recession.  Although much of the increase is attributed to rising GDP, [...]

A Driver’s Story – Encouraging the Next Generation

After graduating high school in 1976 I was living in an old steel/manufacturing town where there were few employment possibilities.  At that time continuing on to college just wasn’t an option.   I was 18 years old. I needed to decide what to do with my life. How do you know what you want to do [...]