FAST Act

What’s going on in Washington?

The days in Washington, DC, seem to fly by as we barrel towards the Sept. 30 expiration deadline of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Transaction has slowed to a near standstill surrounding the uncertainty of the votes of moderate Senators from purple states who are stuck between a rock and hard place politically.

House Democrats are approaching the upcoming infrastructure bill and the reconciliation legislation in a “two-tracked” approach. Both sides of the aisle have...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/whats-going-on-in-washington

Viewpoint: The interstate system turns 65 — it’s time to modernize it

This commentary was written by Dave Kearby, executive director at TRIP. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.

By Dave Kearby

As the U.S. interstate highway system reaches 65 years old on Tuesday, it is congested, carries significant levels of travel — particularly by large trucks — and lacks adequate funding to make needed repairs and improvements. America’s most critical transportation link will need...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-the-interstate-system-turns-65-its-time-to-modernize-it

Truck broker guidance, ELD data research rolled into highway bill

The Democrats’ version of the highway bill retains many of the truck-centric policies of last year’s version with two notable add-ons: guidance on truck brokers and dispatch services and a policy for using truckers’ electronic logging devices (ELDs) for government research.

The $547 billion “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act,” issued on Friday, is expected to be considered before the House Transportation and Infrastructure...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-broker-guidance-eld-data-research-rolled-into-highway-bill

Republicans spotlight bridge repair in $400B highway bill

Republicans unveiled a $400 billion, five-year reauthorization of surface transportation programs that emphasizes bridge repair and speeding up the timeline for approving infrastructure projects.

The Surface Transportation Advanced through Reform, Technology, & Efficient Review (STARTER) Act 2.0, crafted by Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, contains most of the provisions included in the STARTER Act proposed by Republicans in 2020.

Democrats plan to release...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/republicans-spotlight-bridge-repair-in-400b-highway-bill

Viewpoint: DOT ignoring key test to stop drug-impaired truckers

Hair testing for drugs

Lane Kidd is managing director of The Trucking Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of freight and logistics companies dedicated to improving the safety and security of their commercial truck drivers and motorists. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

By Lane Kidd

On June 25, 2015, a truck driver with methamphetamines in his system was traveling north on Interstate 75, near Chattanooga, Tennessee....

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/viewpoint-dot-ignoring-key-test-to-stop-drug-impaired-truckers

Election 2020: Road ahead for trucking infrastructure hinges on Nov. 3

With odds “more likely than not,” according to political analysts, that the U.S. Senate will follow the political party of the presidential ticket in the wake of next week’s election, issues critical to the trucking industry face divergent paths depending on who wins the White House.

Highway infrastructure is at the top of that list.

“It’s not just about the election, it’s also about control of the Senate and the relative balance in the House,” Jeff Davis, senior fellow at the Eno Center for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/road-ahead-for-trucking-infrastructure-hangs-in-balance-on-nov-3

Commentary: Every state rail plan is unique

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.

Promotion of railroads as highly efficient solutions is often considered to be the role of agencies like state departments of Transportation. So why, you might ask, does Oklahoma stand out?

After all, the pattern is that all the state plans satisfy the basic “checklist”-required things to be considered in a federally financed planning prospectus.

How would this...

Trump signs 1-year highway bill extension

President Donald Trump signed an appropriations bill Thursday that extends federal surface transportation programs for one year, including $13.6 billion to keep the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) from running out of cash.

The highway bill extension was part of a larger package that funds the entire federal government through Dec. 11.

The stop-gap measure was necessary because Congress failed to pass a multiyear highway bill reauthorization before the previous law, known as the FAST Act, expired...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trump-signs-1-year-highway-bill-extension

Jason’s Law truck parking update under review at FHWA

A long-awaited assessment on truck parking capacity in the U.S. is expected to be ready for publishing by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) before the end of this year.

An updated Jason’s Law survey, which was initially scheduled to be published before the end of 2019 only to be postponed to the first months of this year, will now be made public during an upcoming virtual meeting of the National Coalition of Truck Parking, according to FHWA.

Top 10 critical issues in ranked by commercial...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/jasons-law-truck-parking-update-under-review-at-fhwa

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