More than 60 NITL members participated in a Webinar yesterday that reviewed the recent Surface Transportation Board proposal on competitive switching and highlighted issues that merit comment. READ MORE

Two former employees of Google, which is attempting to develop a self-driving car, are focusing their attention on a bigger prize—a self-driving truck. READ MORE

Intermodal loads transported in North America fell 6.1 percent in the second quarter of 2016, ending 25 consecutive year-over-year increases. READ MORE

Each dollar that freight railroads spend to build, maintain, or enhance America’s 140,000-mile rail network produces $10 in economic impact. READ MORE

The Surface Transportation Board has withdrawn a proposal that would have allowed it to take what it called “a systemic view” of preferences granted to freight and passenger trains when assessing complaints related to passenger trains’ on-time performance. READ MORE

The Global Shippers Forum, of which NITL is a member, says it wants to put a stop to the imposition of container shipping surcharges by 2020. READ MORE

In a long-anticipated decision on the League’s request for new competitive switching rules, this week the Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted the League’s petition in part and proposed new rules which, if adopted, would allow shippers served by one railroad to gain access to a second.  The Board also overturned its current reciprocal switching rules which have never been applied to provide a shipper with competitive access to a second railroad.  Both actions are at least a partial victory for the League and its industry partners. READ MORE

A random inspection of more than 6,100 commercial vehicles on U.S. and Canadian roads resulted in 12.4 percent being put out of service for brake violations, almost as many as were removed for all other causes combined. READ MORE

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is seeking input on the levels and structure of insurance needed by railroads that transport hazardous materials. READ MORE

Canada’s Ministry of Transport is accelerating the phase-out of DOT-111 tank cars for crude oil transportation, setting November 1 as the new deadline to remove them from service. READ MORE