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Port of VancouverThe issue that has sparked a 25-day-old truckers' strike at the Port of Vancouver could cause the Port of Seattle to be shut down Tuesday.

A Federal Highway Administration spokeswoman last week criticized speculation about the contents of an hours-of-service reform the agency is drafting.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association won a major round in its lawsuit against New Prime Inc. and Arctic Express when a federal court ruled it could sue the companies.

This afternoon's headlines: FedEx to open service desks at Kinko's Centers; Baltimore's independent truckers may boycott container piers; and Neglect ruled out in Beltway crash.

In the news this morning: More acquisitions may lie ahead for USF; Farmworker families file suit in Calif. crash deaths; and Interstate Bridge damage rated no threat to public.

With the clock ticking on her tenure, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Linda Morgan was nominated by President Clintonto a second term as head of the independent agency.

The Transport Topics Web site experienced technical difficulties on Monday and Tuesday, and may continue to have intermittent problems.

An association of eight state air quality agencies last week called on the Environmental Protection Agency to mandate the retrofit of emissions control on older diesel engines.

What’s the biggest human problem in transportation today? Ask big-carrier administrators, owner-operators, recruiters, dispatchers and drivers and the answer will be the same: being away from home.

While many large fleets provide services to help drivers and their families cope with the hardships of the over-the-road life, self-employed truckers have to find their own support network.