U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

No truck parking (money): OOIDA rips Dems for funding snub

Independent owner-operators took congressional Democrats to task for failing to fund expanded truck parking in the $3.5 trillion federal spending bill.

In marking up its portion of the legislation on Tuesday, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee voted down an amendment offered by Mike Bost, R-Ill., that would have provided $1 billion over the next five years for truck parking projects.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which has been pushing hard for the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/no-truck-parking-money-ooida-rips-dems-for-funding-snub

Key House member asks regulatory body to reject CN’s voting trust

A photograph of a Kansas City Southern train on a train track.

The chair of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has come out against a proposed voting trust that Canadian railway CN (NYSE: CNI) would use to acquire Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU).

The objection comes as other House members have expressed support for merger proceedings between the Class I railroads to continue.

The Monday letter from Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., calls for the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to reject CN’s proposed voting trust, arguing it is not in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/key-house-member-asks-regulatory-body-to-reject-cns-voting-trust

Regulator wants more ‘enforcement capacity’ against container lines

The Federal Maritime Commission asked lawmakers to boost its budget to help enforce Shipping Act regulations governing detention and demurrage practices as the agency intensifies its oversight of container lines.

Testifying on his agency’s FY2022 budget before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei said it is seeking $30.8 million — $1 million more than authorized for FY2021 — to bolster resources dedicated to the agency’s Bureau of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/regulator-wants-more-enforcement-capacity-against-container-lines

Vessel group rejects allegations of threats against US exporters

U.S. exporters should not fear payback from container lines if they complain to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) about excessive cargo fees or canceled contracts, according to the carriers’ representative in Washington.

“I categorically reject the idea that shippers are being threatened with retaliation for bringing complaints — I don’t buy that,” John Butler, president and CEO of the World Shipping Council, which represents most of the world’s container ship fleet, told lawmakers.

Testifying...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/vessel-group-rejects-allegations-of-threats-against-us-exporters

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

House Transportation Committee chair skeptical of rail merger offers

A photograph of a Kansas City Southern train.

The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee panned competing efforts by two Canadian railways to acquire Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU), saying the offers threaten to usher in a new round of consolidations in the rail sector.

In a Friday statement, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, said, “Multiple railroads are now seeking to acquire KCS, and that flurry should set off alarm bells about a potential new wave of railroad mergers that stifle competition and trigger...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-transportation-committee-chair-skeptical-of-rail-merger-offers

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

Port of Los Angeles outlines spending plans for new tax funds

The Port of Los Angeles plans to take advantage of changes made to a tax aimed at maintaining harbor depths by using it to fund upgrades needed to accommodate the port’s growing cargo and cruise ship business.

Testifying Tuesday at a subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said that the historical defined uses of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) prevented the port from accessing those monies – even though...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-los-angeles-outlines-spending-plans-for-new-tax-funds

Trucking testifies on ‘range anxiety,’ other obstacles to zero-emission vehicles

Trucking interests briefed lawmakers Wednesday on the feasibility of getting to a zero-emissions vehicle world by 2050 — one of President Joe Biden’s climate goals — as Republicans reiterated their vow to keep climate change policy away from the next infrastructure package.

Testifying at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on behalf of the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), Shameek Konar, CEO of fuel retailer Pilot Flying J, said that establishing an...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/trucking-testifies-on-range-anxiety-other-obstacles-to-zero-emission-vehicles

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