DOT Secretary LaHood proposes permanent rule to ban texting for truck and bus drivers
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a federal rule that proposes to specifically prohibit texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers. The proposed rule would make permanent an interim ban announced in January that applied existing safety rules to the specific issue of texting.
Kansas panel endorses transportation plan; truck fees to rise
TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposal for an $8.2 billion transportation program in Kansas cleared a Senate committee Tuesday, signaling that some legislators still hope to underwrite new highway projects despite the state's budget problems.
Washington governor signs $8.5 billion transportation budget
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law an updated $8.5 billion state transportation budget that lawmakers say will bankroll thousands of construction jobs.
FMCSA's Ferro busy behind scenes focusing on safety mission
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — New FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro has spent the first four months in office out of the limelight, choosing to stay in the kitchen as it were. “With an agency with as large a mission and as large a territory to cover, the initial challenge is to just get a handle on everything we do,” Ferro said in a brief interview during the Mid-America Trucking Show here last week. “I am still peeling back the onion, but I can tell you to a person in our agency, the passion for our mission of saving lives by reducing crashes in commercial vehicles — regardless of when or how or who — across the board and across the nation our employees are committed to that end.”
Rule to limit wireless communication devices out of White House, back to FMCSA
WASHINGTON — A proposed rule for cell phone use that was promised by “summertime” has made it out of the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, and has been sent back to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for publication soon.
Diesel stops climb with 0.7 cent fall to $2.939
WASHINGTON — The retail on-highway diesel U.S. average price dropped today after climbing for five consecutive weeks. The price dropped $0.007 per gallon to $2.939 a gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration.