Senate commerce committee

NS, SMART-TD to hold off on conductor redeployment talks

Norfolk Southern and the union representing train conductors have tabled discussions on redeploying conductors and instead will focus on other measures to improve quality-of-life issues. 

This decision comes as congressional lawmakers have been busy considering what initiatives should be included in a rail safety bill.

NS (NYSE: NSC) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division (SMART-TD) are discontinuing formal negotiations on...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ns-smart-td-to-hold-off-on-conductor-redeployment-talks

Trucking, labor haggle over driver work rules

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Teamsters union agree that truck driver fatigue is an issue, but the two organizations disagree on how to solve the problem.

Testifying on Tuesday at a Senate Commerce committee hearing on freight transportation issues, Lamont Byrd, director of the union’s safety and health department, told lawmakers that a big part of the problem are the changes made to the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations last year, which he says is resulting in drivers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-labor-haggle-over-driver-work-rules

Setback for truck platooning as clock starts on Wi-Fi rule

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving ahead with a Trump-era decision to reallocate wireless bandwidth set aside for vehicle safety despite warnings from trucking companies and technology experts that the move could affect the deployment and costs of truck platooning.

A final rule issued Friday for public inspection is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Monday and sets a July 2 effective date for the FCC’s decision. The rule repurposes the lower 45 megahertz of...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/setback-for-truck-platooning-as-clock-starts-on-wi-fi-rule

Truck safety groups caution against exemptions on hauling vaccines

Hours-of-service (HOS) waivers and other exemptions issued by regulators to help trucking companies expedite distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months should include safeguards to protect truck drivers as well as other road users, truck safety groups have warned.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ahead of the committee’s hearing Thursday on vaccine transport logistics, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-safety-groups-caution-against-exemptions-on-hauling-vaccines

Shippers, unions, railroads take sides at Senate hearing

A photograph of a train traveling through a desert.

The debate about how much oversight Congress and the Surface Transportation Board (STB) should have regarding freight rail operations and rates took center stage at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee last week.

At one corner was the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which represents the Class I railroads operating in the U.S. and argues that the status quo enables the railroads to make the millions needed to maintain, invest and expand the nation’s freight rail network. At the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-unions-railroads-take-sides-at-senate-hearing

Senators blast FAA ‘stonewalling’ 737 MAX investigation

Large bald man, the head of the FAA, speaks before congressional committee.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson on Wednesday acknowledged that the agency and Boeing (NYSE: BA) made mistakes in the development of the 737 MAX, and said he is committed to improving the certification process and that the plane must go through several more review steps before it can be recertified for commercial service.

During a hearing that got testy at times, members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee accused the FAA of “stonewalling” their...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/senators-blast-faa-stonewalling-737-max-investigation

Senate bill targets FAA certification process used for 737 MAX

A blue and white 737 MAX next to a hangar at a Boeing facility.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate Tuesday would reform the way the Federal Aviation Administration certifies aircraft after investigations found problems with how the Boeing 737 MAX was deemed airworthy before it suffered two mass-casualty crashes.

The Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act of 2020 would address a number of issues related to the manufacture of commercial aircraft, most notably incorporating human factors in assessments of pilot responses to cockpit alerts and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/senate-bill-targets-faa-certification-process-used-for-737-max

National Shipper Advisory Committee for FMC gets Senate push

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill that would allow the formation of a committee of American shippers to advise the Federal Maritime Commission on policies related to competitiveness, reliability, integrity and fairness in ocean shipping.

FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye proposed the FMC National Shipper Advisory Committee two years ago when the agency was analyzing persistent ocean shipping bottlenecks due to systemic port congestion throughout the U.S.

Under the 2019 FMC...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/national-shipper-advisory-committee-for-fmc-gets-senate-push

FMC urges Congress to aid distressed US box terminals

Steep reductions in containership sailings over the next several months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have many U.S. marine terminal operators wondering how they are going to afford their annual lease payments to port authorities.

The country’s nearly 100 large and small container terminals are on some of the priciest industrial property. According to industry experts, terminal operators in the Port of New York and New Jersey annually spend about $90,000 per acre as port authority...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmc-urges-congress-to-aid-distressed-us-box-terminals

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