Infrastructure spending is perhaps the one form of government spending that all aisles can agree to. With billions upon billions of people and items needing to travel from point A to point B, infrastructure investment certainly pays dividends. Now, the federal government is allocating tons of money for bridges, in what the United States Department […]
2021 has been a slightly hectic year. How has yours been? Our predictions mostly came true, most notably the Tesla Semi being delayed another year. The trucking industry has been through a lot in this past year; here is a recap.Unlike our last Year in Review where we talked about the biggest articles of the […]
It is no surprise that due to the adjacent proximity of Canada to the United States that it is one of our greatest partners in commerce. So much so that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) wants to give assistance to drivers in the Great White North in a time of unprecedented rainfall.DetailsThe entire […]
The blockage at the twin California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is slowly clearing up, but it could be done a lot faster. One such cog jammer is the Clean Air Action Plan, a joint effort by both ports to reduce emissions. A noble goal, considering the smog density in the Los Angeles […]
Drivers headed towards the western coast may want to stock up on fuel ahead of time, as various fueling stations in the southwest are starting to feel a strain from a lack of fuel. Details With everything being in short supply nowadays, from computer chips to rubber to human resources, it is hardly a surprise […]
Three months ago, the United States Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 in a 69-30 vote. Now, the House of Representatives has passed the same bill at a rate of 228-206. Now the bill goes to Joe Biden for a signature to become law.The Effect on TruckingIt is fair to say […]
Joe Biden may have announced an increase in port operations, but ships are arriving faster than they are leaving, at a slow but ever evident rate. With California being the state with the highest gross domestic product in the nation, its governor Gavin Newsom wants to further accelerate the emptying of ships, and to that […]
Trucking, like many industries in life, comes with a lot of paperwork. The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) is one of these. This guide should help make understanding the UCR easier, since you no doubt have plenty of things already on your mind!What is the UCR?The Unified Carrier Registration system is the product of a collaboration […]
The House of Representatives appears to be much less interested in spending money than the Senate. While the Senate passed a bill authorizing $1 trillion in spending for infrastructure, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure put forth its portion of the 2022 Budget Reconciliation Bill. It has $60 billion set for infrastructure and carbon […]
The interesting thing about news in contrast with government is that news moves fast while government moves slowly. In the past few days, more states have entered the fold of declaring a state of emergency due to Hurricane Ida, bringing the total number to seven. Details The first declarations were covered previously, so we will […]
Governor Andrew Cuomo may be on his way out the door due to resigning amidst sexual harassment allegations, but that is not stopping Mother Nature from threatening havoc. By the time you read this, Tropical Storm Henri should have hit the New York shore. Experts have Henri pinned at a tropical storm of wind speeds […]
Many states in the nation are not getting enough water, but for others it may be too much. Colorado has experienced torrential rainfall in the past week, causing massive mudslides in Glenwood Canyon.
In a vote of 69-30 (with one senator absent), the United States Senate has voted to pass H.R. 3684, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 or the INVEST in America Act. What does the bill entail, and how are truckers affected should it pass the House of Representatives? H.R. 3684 […]
The I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge, closed in May and diverted in June, is set to be reopened for travel across and under it by the time you can read this article.DetailsThe Hernando de Soto Bridge, connecting Memphis, Tennessee and Arkansas, closed down in mid-May when inspectors from the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) found […]
58% of truck drivers are willing to admit to performing unauthorized parking at least three times per week. Minneapolis’ city council has devised a law that will probably make the citizens and tourists of Minneapolis very happy, but will make truck drivers furious.The LawOn Friday, July 23rd, the city council voted 12-1 for a truck […]
It has been about a month and a half since the Hernando de Soto Bridge closed connecting Arkansas and Tennessee over the Mississippi River. While repairs are still underway, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is using some tricks of the trade to reduce the impact this closure has on the trucking industry.Traffic ControlHow much […]
We have written extensively on our thoughts about fuel taxes; here is a summary: while not fun to pay, it is by far the most efficient way to pay for roads based on use, and as such an increase is a necessary evil. Both political parties disagree, but perhaps nobody is more opposed to an […]
While the governor of the Constitution State has not yet signed the bill into law as of the writing of this article, Ned Lamont has already expressed his support for a miles tax on heavy trucks traveling within Connecticut’s borders.
Traffic is a silent killer, and if Congress wants to save lives and bolster the economy, reducing traffic is a way to do both of them at once. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) compiled and analyzed data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and found some interesting details on the effect that […]
Do you enjoy crumbling infrastructure? Hearing about backlogs of roads and bridges that need proper maintenance to avoid catastrophe?
On March 31st, the office of Joe Biden released the details for the American Jobs Plan. The entire infrastructure plan press release clocks in at almost 12,000 words. Reading it is a time-consuming project, but if you want to, you can view it on the fact sheet webpage. For those who have better things to […]
2021 is the new 2020. While many bills related to the trucking industry died in the legislative process in the previous year, many of them are getting a second wind with a new Congress and White House. One of these is an attempt to resolve the perpetual problem of truck parking, a problem that was […]
The way things have been, a fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents of diesel fuel have been used for the Highway Trust Fund. These numbers, unchanged since 1993, are not enough for the infrastructure needs of the country.
It only takes hitting one pothole on the road to understand that United States roads are an infrastructure investment that nearly everyone supports. But with such bipartisan approval, roads continue to remain in states of disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades different aspects of infrastructure in the United States, ranging from aviation […]
The American Transport Research Institute (ATRI), known for its annual trucking surveys, has released its list for the worst trucking bottlenecks in 2020. The Department of Transportation hopes to use the information to better allocate spending dollars to critically-needed infrastructure. Here are the details and results of the endeavor. Methodology ATRI collected and compiled GPS […]
The trucking industry is on fire (in a good way). Freight rates are the highest they have been in recent history, the Outbound Tender Volume Index is on the precipice of breaking new records, and new truck sales numbers just keep growing. All of these individually are great, but combined they bring forth a new […]
Truckers Need to Save More Fuel Gas. It’s the thing that we all think about when we drive for a long time (or even a short amount of time). What gas mileage do you get? How much is it going to cost in gas? How often will we have to stop? And what can be […]
