The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said food safety rule changes finalized April 5 will help prevent food contamination during transportation. The new regulations will require anyone involved in transporting human and animal food by truck or rail to follow best practices for properly refrigerating food, adequately cleaning vehicles between loads and properly protecting food during transit. READ MORE

BNSF Railway (BN) is considering terminating plans to invest $500 million to build an intermodal rail facility near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a project known as the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG). READ MORE

Kansas City Southern Railway announced plans to invest approximately $20 million this year in construction and improvement projects on its main line from Kansas through Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and northwest Louisiana — a line segment that is a key component of the carrier’s network. READ MORE

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has designated three new marine highway projects that serve New Orleans, Chicago and the Great Lakes. READ MORE

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the names of 10 non-federal officials appointed to the newly formed Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Formula Working Group. READ MORE

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) said April 5 he opposes Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CP) proposal to merge with Norfolk Southern. He said the merger isn’t in the best interest of rail shippers. READ MORE

The latest twist in the ocean shipping container weight verification saga comes from the U.S. west coast where Los Angeles and Long Beach terminal operators have been engaged in a lengthy battle against congestion problems related to ship backlogs and trucks waiting for pickup. READ MORE

On Monday April 4th, the League’s Executive Director, Jennifer Hedrick, met with the President and CEO of the New York Shipping Association (NYSA), John Nardi, and senior executives from the Port of New York and New Jersey (PONYNJ). Ms. Hedrick was accompanied by the League’s Senior Policy Advisor, Bruce Carlton. READ MORE

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Daniel Elliott said April 1 he is “aggressively moving forward with the mandates” of the landmark bill Congress enacted last year to reform the federal rail regulatory agency. He said the agency is “making steady progress” on the key objectives of legislation. READ MORE

Small business trucking operators represented by the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said in an appeals court brief that a government mandate requiring electronic monitoring devices in trucks doesn’t advance safety and violates drivers’ Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. READ MORE