Office of Management and Budget

FMCSA automated trucks project headed to White House

Federal regulators are submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans for a survey study to assess public appetite for automated driving systems (ADS) in the trucking sector.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the move in a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. The agency emphasized that OMB, an office within White House, must receive any public comments on the proposal 30 days after the notice is published in order for OMB “to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-automated-trucks-project-headed-to-white-house

Blockchain could soon protect drivers hauling hemp

The White House is reviewing a draft final rule on hemp production which may consider using blockchain technology to help protect drivers from being wrongfully arrested when hauling legal hemp across state lines.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Envision Blockchain Solutions LLC and Blockchain Agricultural Solutions Inc. are partnering on an effort that would use blockchain to provide real-time, shared information to law enforcement to not only avoid driver arrests but also the unlawful seizure...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/blockchain-could-soon-protect-drivers-hauling-hemp

SECDEF Esper’s ‘Battle Force 2045’ Plan Still Awaiting White House Approval

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper conducts Virtual Engagement with Industry Partners at the Pentagon on Oct. 21, 2020. DoD Photo

Two weeks after Defense Secretary Mark Esper unveiled the outline for his Battle Force 2045 initiative to grow the Navy to more than 500 ships, the Trump administration has yet to give final approval.

A week before Esper’s Oct. 6 speech outlining the bullet points of the fleet proposal that would set the course of Navy shipbuilding for the next two decades, the White...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/21/secdef-espers-battle-force-2045-plan-still-awaiting-white-house-approval

Truckers frustrated with hair-test guideline delays

A five-year delay of a rulemaking that would give trucking companies the option to use a hair test instead of urinalysis to screen drivers for drugs is preventing significant safety improvements, according to major industry players.

The benefits of hair testing within the trucking industry was a common theme among several panel discussions at a truck safety summit held by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today.

Representatives from truckload operators Werner Enterprises (NAS...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truckers-frustrated-with-hair-test-guideline-delays

Drug-test cheating by drivers could renew calls for hair testing

New federal data reveals that drivers may be attempting to cheat urinalysis tests for drugs at a relatively high rate — and that could lead to a renewed push for motor carrier hair-testing requirements, according to a trucking regulations expert.

The latest monthly statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse show that 13% of drug-testing violations collected by the clearinghouse during the first half of the year were classified as...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drug-test-cheating-by-drivers-could-renew-calls-for-hair-testing

Special Arrangement Pays Active-Duty Coast Guard in December Despite Shutdown

A Coast Guard Cutter Sherman crewmember lowers the national ensign during a ceremony honoring Sherman’s final colors, held the evening before the Sherman was decommissioned in Honolulu, Mar. 28, 2018. Coast Guard photo.

While the Department of Homeland Security lacks funding to operate in Fiscal Year 2019, active duty Coast Guard personnel will receive their regularly-scheduled pay due on Dec. 31.

DHS and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials identified a way to pay active duty...

https://news.usni.org/2018/12/31/40009

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