U.S. Department of Agriculture

Ag secretary: Rail service ‘remains inadequate and unreliable’

While rail service has improved for agricultural and grain shippers in 2023 compared with last year, ongoing service issues warrant continued attention and regulatory action, rail shippers are telling the Surface Transportation Board.

For starters, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently urged STB to follow through with a number of actions to bolster rail service, including moving forward on proceedings regarding private rail car use and emergency service orders, including addressing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ag-secretary-rail-service-remains-inadequate-and-unreliable

Lawmaker introduces bill to guarantee more US-flag shipping

U.S. flag on ship entering New York

A bipartisan bill aimed at invigorating U.S.-flag shipping for international government cargo was introduced Friday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.

The Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, would restore a requirement that at least 75% of gross seaborne tonnage for international food aid programs be carried on US-flagged vessels.

The requirement, in place from 1985 to 2012, was repealed by the current law that lowered the minimum...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmaker-introduces-bill-to-guarantee-more-us-flag-shipping

Feds dodging US-flag ship cargo rules, GAO reveals

US aid cargo being unloaded

Government watchdogs have found that a lack of oversight by maritime regulators is allowing federal agencies to evade laws requiring that certain amounts of international cargoes move on U.S.-flag ships.

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, “Actions Needed to Enhance Cargo Preference Oversight,” which will be the focus of a congressional hearing Wednesday, concluded that without additional efforts by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to develop regulations and enforce...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-dodging-us-flag-ship-cargo-rules-gao-reveals

FreightWaves Classics: Transcontinental trip leads to the numbered highway system (Part 1)

Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa. (Photo: Public Domain/Library of Congress)

FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Sutton Transport, an LTL leader in the Midwest for more than 40 years. Sutton Transport proudly services Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Request a quote here.

In Chicago on March 4, 1902, nine individual motor clubs with a total of 1,500 members banded together to found the American Automobile Association (AAA or Triple-A). Their reason for beginning AAA was “the lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles.” Among the individual motor...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-transcontinental-trip-leads-to-the-numbered-highway-system-part-1

Unclear guidance makes trucking hemp across state lines legally dicey

Forklift loading hemp into back of truck.

Since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing the cultivation and sale of hemp and its derivatives, a lack of guidance governing how the cargo is transported has been a potential barrier for trucking companies looking to take advantage of this emerging business.

Kevin Schultz, co-founder and president of 357 Hemp Logistics, has used this regulatory gap to his advantage by carving out a niche as one of the few companies specializing in hemp transportation. FreightWaves decided to check in with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unclear-guidance-makes-trucking-hemp-across-state-lines-legally-dicey

Fertilizer shippers seek carrier reforms to address supply chain snags

Tank cars at rail yard

Fertilizer shippers are pressuring the Biden administration for transportation-related changes they say will help lower their costs and make them more competitive in world markets.

The industry’s recommendations, which include regulatory and other changes affecting trucking, rail and maritime, were in response to an information request published earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) in which the agency asked for help identifying issues...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fertilizer-shippers-seek-carrier-reforms-to-address-supply-chain-snags

Invasion makes Ukraine’s role as global ag exporter uncertain

Global political uncertainties weighed on the minds of speakers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual outlook forum on Thursday and Friday, even as U.S. ag exports are forecast to be worth billions this year. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is anticipated to have an effect on global agricultural trade but it’s uncertain what that impact will be. 

Ukraine is considered to be the fourth-largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, exporting to China, Middle East, North Africa...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/invasion-makes-ukraines-role-as-global-ag-exporter-uncertain

USDA announces container subsidy — lawmakers say it’s not enough

Lawmakers leading a push to overhaul U.S. ocean shipping laws in Congress shrugged off the latest effort by the Biden administration to offset punishing costs and service shortfalls being absorbed by American agricultural exporters.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Monday it was partnering with the Port of Oakland on a new 25-acre container staging area reserved for agriculture exports. The goal is to get quicker pickup of empty containers for refilling with products...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/usda-announces-container-subsidy-lawmakers-say-its-not-enough

Feds release $200 million in COVID money for timber haulers

Timber haulers who took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for up to $125,000 from a pot of $200 million made available by the federal government.

The funding package announced this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – authorized as part of the pandemic relief bill passed in December 2020 – is aimed at giving relief to both loggers and truckers as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program. The program is being administered by the department’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-release-200-million-in-covid-money-for-timber-haulers

FreightWaves Classics: Federal Highway Administration supports US road system

Traffic on a busy interstate. (Photo: saferoads.org)

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is focused on highway transportation. The FHWA supports state and local governments in the design, construction and maintenance of the national highway system as well as roads on federally and tribally owned lands.

Oversight of the FHWA is conducted by an administrator appointed by the President by and with the consent of the U.S. Senate. The administrator works under the direction of the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-federal-highway-administration-supports-us-road-system

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