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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will propose a regulation later this year that would absolve truck drivers of their duty to file reports about truck and trailer inspections that do not find any equipment defects, a federal official said.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Thursday the Department of Transportation will propose eliminating an inspection paperwork requirement that will save the trucking industry $1.7 billion annually.

Reading the July 15 article titled “Carriers Say Wheel Covers Cut Fuel Costs By Making Vehicles More Aerodynamic” raised a flag with my safety sense. Working for a fleet safety firm, we conduct fleet inspections and compliance review audits for carriers looking to improve/maintain their safety performance and scores for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

Independent studies have confirmed that anomalies and flaws exist in the relationship between crash likelihood and a trucking company’s BASIC scores as calculated under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shut down and fined three Chicago-area movers due to safety and consumer-protection violations.

Medical professionals and state driver licensing agencies objected to a proposal to require daily updates of commercial drivers’ physical exam information, telling federal regulators the system would be burdensome and costly.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will waive the new rest-break requirement for 90 days for truck drivers who are carrying live animals, because of the above-average temperatures forecast for the summer and fall in much of the United States.

Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico rose 7.5% in April from the same month last year and increased 2.4% from March, the Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Heavy-duty truck and automobile battery manufacturer Exide Technologies filed for bankruptcy after environmental regulators in California shut down one if its lead-recycling plants, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

The National Transportation Safety Board asked federal regulators Tuesday to apply some safety technology requirements to straight trucks, vans and pickup trucks that currently only apply to heavy trucks, saying those components could increase safety and prevent deaths.