91��Ƶ

New legislation aimed at giving ports more authority to set environmental regulations is expanding the battle over the Port of Los Angeles’ controversial employees-only clean trucks plan from the courts to Congress.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood encouraged the nation’s safest truck drivers to play an active role in combating distracted driving. “Distracted driving is an epidemic in America,” LaHood said in a speech Aug. 5 during the National Truck Driving Championships.

Fortunately, some companies are slowly waking to the fact that untreated sleep apnea presents higher risks for their organization, and they are creating proactive programs to address the issue.

I have been following with interest the published articles covering the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new CSA program. The articles include a front-page story in the June 28 edition of this newspaper headlined “CSA Training Could Affect O-Os, Some Industry Officials Worry.”

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has proposed a rule that would eliminate requirements for special permits to haul some hazmats, ranging from liquefied petroleum gas to anhydrous ammonia fertilizers.

August is our favorite month. It’s usually a relaxed time of year, when most people take vacations and kick back a little before rushing back into the thick of things. The seasonal shipping crush usually begins to take shape in September, so August feels a bit like the lull before the storm.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it sent its hours-of-service proposal to the White House for review on July 26.

The Obama administration must produce a plan to solve the ongoing border trucking dispute with Mexico by October, under a provision inserted in the Transportation Department’s 2011 budget.

Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico jumped 39.5% in May, the largest increase since records began, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.

The American Transportation Research Institute has updated its online guide of state and local anti-idling regulations, the group said Thursday.