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WASHINGTON — Fred Smith, founder and chairman of FedEx Corp., said he believes nationwide use of 33-foot twin trailers can gain approval during the next presidential administration.

The Senate on May 19 voted 89-8 to pass a $56 billion transportation funding bill with a provision that would cap at 73 the allowable hours per week truckers could work before being required to take a rest break.

WASHINGTON — A higher percentage of federal Highway Trust Fund dollars will come from diesel fuel taxes and other fees on trucks as future government rules require ever-better gas mileage for passenger cars. That was the message from Joung Lee of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials during an Infrastructure Week session on May 19.

A House subcommittee on May 18 easily approved a fiscal 2017 transportation funding bill that would extend the prohibition on the 2013 changes to the 34-hour, hours-of-service rule for truckers.

The White House on May 18 unveiled a rule that raises the overtime pay exemption threshold nationwide, a move many businesses and industries have criticized.

WASHINGTON — Protectionism has become a political issue that is a threat to an efficient global supply chain, world trade and the critical importance of making the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement a reality, a top UPS Inc. official said.

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla declared a state of emergency for the island’s Highways and Transportation Authority, suspending the transfer of toll-road revenue to bondholders and imposing a stay on legal claims.

The Surface Transportation Board proposed a procedure for using its newfound power to investigate rail service and delay issues, including a three-step process for advancing those reviews.

Jeff Davis, senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, joins TT's Eugene Mulero to talk transportation funding and the FAST Act during Infrastructure Week. More at bit.ly/TTCA0516

The Obama administration on May 16 indicated it would veto a fiscal 2017 transportation funding bill in the Senate if the bill’s final version includes provisions that go beyond the scope of funding legislation. A provision in the bill would set at 73 hours the allowable hours per week truckers may work before taking a break.