Surface Transportation bill

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

Truck brokers want Congress to call out illegal dispatching

The nation’s largest advocate for truck brokers is looking to Congress to help clarify regulations with the goal of eliminating illegal dispatching – potential changes that have riled legitimate operators within this sector of the trucking industry.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has already filed a petition at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requesting that the agency issue a rulemaking aimed at raising standards for dispatch services. That petition,...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-brokers-want-congress-to-call-out-illegal-dispatching

Buttigieg vows to help US exporters resolve supply chain woes

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg pledged to step into the fray to help resolve a dispute between vessel operators and U.S. exporters over container pricing and availability.

Testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday on the Biden administration’s infrastructure priorities, Buttigieg was asked by lawmakers what he could do to expedite a solution to the congestion that has been going on for months — particularly at West Coast ports — and that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/buttigieg-vows-to-help-us-exporters-resolve-supply-chain-woes

Republicans to White House: Limit infrastructure spending to roads and bridges

As the Biden administration looks ahead to the “recovery” portion of its Build Back Better plan while the $1.9 billion COVID-19 relief bill is considered in the Senate, Republicans are drawing a line across the road when it comes to infrastructure investment.

After a White House meeting Thursday that included President Joe Biden and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/republicans-to-white-house:-limit-infrastructure-spending-to-roads-and-bridges

Pete Buttigieg confirmed as DOT secretary

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly (86-13) on Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary, a development industry watchers hope turns out to be the first step in getting an infrastructure package passed this year.

There will be pressure on Buttigieg to begin making progress on a handful of emerging transportation policy issues.

“He will have to think about issues of ensuring safety with new autonomous vehicle technologies,” Sen. Maria Cantwell,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/news-alert-pete-buttigieg-confirmed-as-dot-secretary

Rail stakeholders: Tough road ahead for infrastructure bill

A photograph of tank cars parked at a rail yard.

The multibillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week, but whether it can make it through the Republican-controlled Senate to President Donald Trump’s desk is less clear.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Moving Forward Act on a largely party-line vote of 233-188 last Wednesday, and the bill now is in the U.S. Senate. 

The act includes an infrastructure component that authorizes the federal government to spend nearly $500 billion over five years...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-stakeholders-tough-road-ahead-for-infrastructure-bill

Truck stops join owner-operators in rejecting Dems’ highway bill

Travel plaza and truck stop operators are no longer backing U.S. House Democrats’ federal infrastructure proposal after a provision was included to allow electric vehicle charging stations at interstate rest areas.

“It is incredibly shortsighted for lawmakers to focus on installing electric vehicle charging at rest areas with taxpayer dollars … rather than to partner with the thousands of exit businesses already investing in electric fuel,” Lisa Mullings, president and CEO of NATSO, the trade...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-stops-join-owner-operators-in-rejecting-dems-highway-bill

Rail groups split on Democrats’ infrastructure bill

A photograph on a train with a city landscape behind it.

A number of the railroad-related items listed in the 846-page, $500 billion infrastructure bill introduced by House Democrats this week could face some hot debate as it goes through Congress, judging by the reactions of rail trade groups and rail labor.

The bill, entitled Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America), is a five-year, $494 billion surface reauthorization bill unveiled on June 3 by the U.S. House and Transportation &...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-groups-split-on-democrats-infrastructure-bill

Lawmakers prod FMCSA to move on driver detention

U.S. lawmakers have joined with federal watchdogs in pressuring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to address driver detention times.

The INVEST in America Act, a $494 billion, five-year reauthorization of surface transportation programs introduced on Wednesday by Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, requires that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), through FMCSA, begin collecting data from drivers and carriers on delays during...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/lawmakers-prod-fmcsa-to-move-on-driver-detention

House Democrats propose delay of hours-of-service rules

The newly minted hours-of-service (HOS) final rule will require an extensive safety review that would delay the effective date of the rules by up to 18 months or even longer if Democrats on Capitol Hill have their way.

A “comprehensive review” of the final rule, which became official on Monday and is currently scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 29, was included in the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a five-year, $494...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-democrats-propose-delay-of-hours-of-service-rules

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