In my home state of Wyoming we have a saying, “There are two seasons – winter and highway construction.” As you have traversed the country behind the wheel of your big rig you undoubtedly have encountered numerous highway construction projects and the delays that accompany them. Most of these projects are being funded by an [...]
Every now and then the government steps up and implements laws or regulations that are helpful and most people can agree on. That is the case with the Motor Carrier Protection Act of 2010. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced this bill, S. 3483, on June 15. According to a joint press [...]
One of the most popular funny quotes of all time is “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Many in the trucking industry have reached out and asked for help with the fuel economy of trucks and now the government is here to help reach new fuel-efficiency goals for large trucks. On May [...]
It’s an issue that has been talked about for several years now and we are finally beginning to see action on the part of the government. Electronic On-Board Recorders are now required use for some trucking companies, but this may only be the first step in line of further EOBR mandates. If you will remember, [...]
One of the amazingly frustrating things about the political process is that an idea can be good, but go nowhere. Studies can be conducted that might support a specific policy, but oftentimes those studies end up on a shelf collecting dust. Sometimes a tragedy will bring an issue back to the forefront, though even that [...]
The cross-border trucking program has been brought back to life, yet again. In 1995 the United States-Mexico border was to be open to border-state traffic. Then, in 2000, it was suppose to be open to long-distance, over-the-road traffic. Well, for a variety of valid reasons, the border remained largely closed until 2007, when the Bush [...]
The challenges that face the trucking industry are many, and there are generally no easy answers regarding how best to tackle them. Safety issues and economic issues seem to be the priority of the trucking and regulatory industries right now. As the United States struggles to climb out of one of the worst recessions in [...]
It’s not exactly a four-letter word, but it certainly isn’t a pleasant three-letter acronym either. Welcome to the helm of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Miss Ferro. You are the proud owner of the never-ending debate and tweaking of hours of service (HOS) regulations. Back on Oct. 26, 2009, the FMCSA agreed to [...]
As we begin 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a new chief to lead it through a multitude of important and contentious issues. Anne Ferro officially took the reins of the FMCSA in November after a unanimous vote by the Senate filling the position left vacant for 11 months. The unanimous vote [...]
If there is one issue almost everyone in the trucking industry can agree on it is safety. Safety on the highways is paramount for many reasons, ranging from the simple fact that life is valuable to the fact that unsafe practices cost money. In early October 2009 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced [...]
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