On May 31^st the League told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that rail shippers need the essential freight rail performance metrics now being reported to the agency by the nation’s Class I carriers.  The League’s comments were in response to an April 29^th release of a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the latest development in the STB’s Ex Parte 724 proceeding (United States Rail Service Issues—Performance Data Reporting.) READ MORE

Are you transporting dangerous TIH/PIH commodities in tank cars? If so, this webinar, presented by AllTranstek and FTR | Transportation Intelligence, is designed to educate you on the importance of “nondestructive testing” (NDT) and its vital role in tank car safety. NDT is required for tank cars after construction, qualification, and maintenance, with the goal of ensuring that hazardous commodities are traveling in safe vessels. But like all tank car related matters, NDT poses its own unique challenges.
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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) used a platform created by Infrastructure Week last week to tout the $26 billion annually that freight rails invest in the U.S. rail network.

“On a daily basis, Americans experience the stark contrast in publicly funded highways versus privately owned railways,” AAR President Edward Hamberger said. “One is emblematic of dysfunction while the other embodies efficiency and self-sufficiency.” READ MORE

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported this week that its Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2.1 percent in April, following a 4.4 percent drop during March.

“After having an abnormally large seasonally adjusted gain in February, tonnage fell in April, in addition to the large drop in March,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, while freight remained soft in April, based on other economic indicators, the outlook for tonnage is a little better than just a couple of months ago.” READ MORE

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the availability of the 2016 edition of its Pocket Guide to Large Truck Statistics. The annual publication contains extensive information on the overall state of the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) industry, safety enforcement activity, large truck crashes and other key data. READ MORE

An amendment directing the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to issue a final rule requiring the use of speed limiting devices on commercial trucks is included in a transportation funding measure that has cleared the Senate. READ MORE

The U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) disclosed that it has received 212 applications seeking a total of nearly $9.8 billion in funding under the newly-created Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant program.
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The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved May 25 the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, addressing the needs of U.S. harbors, locks, dams and other water infrastructure. READ MORE

It’s a long, drawn out, grinding process but every year the Congress must find a way to agree on how much money to provide to every federal agency for the following year.  Once a more or less predictable and even efficient matter that worked through the Appropriations Committees of both houses, it is now at best a muddled business with highly unpredictable outcomes. READ MORE

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) advised worldwide port-state control authorities this week to take a “practical and pragmatic approach” during the first three months of enforcing new shipping container verified gross mass (VGM) requirements starting July 1. READ MORE