Highway Bill

For its first hearing of the 115th Congress, the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will delve into how the most recent highway bill — the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act— is being implemented on the state and local level.

Transportation data mining and analysis provider Vigillo announced the BASIC Measure Analyzer as a new feature of Carrier Select that gives more context to CSA data.

A new projections from the Congressional Budget Office about where the Highway Trust Fund will be by the end of 2021 illustrates the inherent flaw in how Congress chose to fund the FAST Act. David Cullen explores the ramifications in his "Passing Zone" blog.

The year went quickly, but that’s because so much happened — largely good in our trucking sphere. You don’t need me to review things, but a couple of developments late in 2015 leave me very hopeful about what lies ahead.

The simple fact that we finally have a long-term bill is good news yet for a bill that is supposed to be about funding the updating and upkeep of our nation’s highways and bridges, the “funding” portion is disappointing.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s one to take to heart looking back at 2015.

Notice of a proposed rule that would increase the use of inspection data in making Safety Fitness Determinations for motor carriers is expected to be published by Dec. 29

Vigillo has announced that Carrier Select, the company’s carrier selection tool for freight brokers, shippers and insurance providers, will continue to provide CSA scores that its carrier customers can opt-in to share.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that, as of Dec. 4, it has removed "much of" the CSA data that had previously been visible to the public on the FMCSA website.

Ten years in the making, a fully funded highway bill that runs longer than two years has become law.

Reaction of industry stakeholder groups to the highway bill compromise forged by Congress is mixed, but decidedly more positive than negative.

The House-Senate conference committee charged with writing a compromise highway bill announced completion today of the FAST Act, a "fully funded five-year plan for surface transportation reauthorization.”

A bipartisan bill to extend the authorization for federal highway and transit programs through Dec. 4 was introduced in the House Nov. 16.

The Senate has approved a bipartisan motion that instructs Senate conferees to the highway bill to oppose the inclusion of a provision that would allow 33-foot long double trailers to operate on highways regardless of state laws.

The highway bill passed by the House on Nov. 5 and the highway bill passed by the Senate in July are headed to a conference committee charged with working out any differences between the two measures.

The House of Representatives has passed its version of a highway bill— voting for it 363-64 in overwhelming bipartisan fashion.

An amendment that would have liberalized truck-weight limits was rejected on Nov. 3 by a vote of 187-236 during floor consideration of the highway bill by the House of Representatives.

An amendment would allow motor carriers that have not been rated by FMCSA to meet safety-eligibility requirements spelled out by the “Interim Hiring Standard” within the proposed long-term highway bill.

Just a day before current funding was set to expire, the Senate on Oct. 28 approved by voice vote the short highway-bill extension that had been passed by the House a day earlier.

A letter signed by eight businesses and associations that together represent over 9,500 motor carriers, brokers and shippers has been sent to the House opposing a section of the long-term highway bill because it “could cripple small-business truckers.”