NAFTA surface trade rises in May

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, was 14.0 percent higher in May 2006 than in May 2005, reaching $66 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)....

TCA joins in HOS lawsuit

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has joined the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) court action as an intervenor against the current hours-of-service (HOS) regulations, challenging the way they were adopted....

NPRA, Chemistry Council take issue with House security action

House committee legislation that addresses petrochemical and oil refining security fails to reflect that much has already been done to strengthen security at the facilities, according to information from the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA). NPRA and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) disagreed with some of the decisions the committee took....

Weekly on-road diesel price sidles up three cents

The price of on-road diesel sidled up last week, topping out at $2.98 per gallon. That's over three cents more than the price of $2.946 per gallon reported the week before, according to the July 31 report from the Department of Energy. ...

For-hire truck tonnage index decreases in June

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased for the first time in three months, falling 0.7 percent in June. June's drop followed respective gains of 2.0 percent and 0.4 percent in April and May....

Roadside inspectors to compete in annual championship

Roadside inspectors from across North America will convene August 14-20 in New Orleans LA to compete in the annual North American Inspectors Championship. ...

Ultra low sulfur diesel study underway

Results have been determined from the first phase of a study by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) to track what changes occur to on-road diesel fuel properties as a result of the transition to ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD). ...

EPA addresses transfer rack vapor balancing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising old rule provisions addressing vapor balancing for transfer racks by providing an additional, equivalent control option that allows routing of displaced hazardous air pollutants vapors to a storage tank with a common header, according to information published in the Federal Register July 28. ...

Canadian truckers to enter US on FAST cards

Canadian truck drivers entering the United States with hazardous materials loads will be required to be in possession of a FAST card, effective August 10, 2006, according to information from the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). The requirement is restricted to products requiring a hazardous materials placard and includes explosives. ...

Whittington to lead renewable fuels task force

John Whittington, Grammer Industries, has been named chairman of a Renewable Fuels Task Force to examine issues associated with renewable fuels and their importance to the commercial agricultural trucking industry, according to the American Trucking Associations....

Three counties in Illinois receive temporary EPA relief

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has temporarily waived clean fuel requirements near St Louis MO in three Illinois counties because of electricity outages that caused fuel supply problems at a Conoco Phillips refinery....

FMCSA to issue study grant on imaging inspection system

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is making a $1.4-million grant available for a two-year study on a thermal imaging inspection system to identify faults and failures in tires, brakes, and bearings mounted on commercial motor vehicles. ...

OOIDA opposes pilot program for Mexican truckers

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is opposing a future federal pilot program that would allow Mexican truckers to drive beyond the 20-mile southern border commercial zone to which they are now restricted, according to OOIDA information....

Truck driver retention, fuel prices impact rail demand

Railroad demand during the autumn is expected to hike as a result of several factors, including the trucking industry's problems with rising fuel prices and driver retention and recruitment, according to information from the Surface Transportation Board (STB)....

Weekly on-road diesel price continues climb

The on-road diesel price continues its upward trend, according to the July 24 report from the Department of Energy. Last week's national average price of $2.946 per gallon was up two cents from $2.926 per gallon the week before. ...

Transportation logistic costs spiral in 2005

Transportation logistics costs jumped 14.1 percent in 2005, compared to the year before -- driven mainly by the increased demand in trucking and tight capacity, according to a report sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). ...

EPA fines Amerigas for failure to file hazmat report

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Amerigas Propane LP to pay $28,495.95 for failure to file a Tier II, Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals Report, to the Washington State Emergency Response Commission and the Dallesport WA Local Emergency Planning Committee and fire department, according to EPA information....

PHMSA seeking comments on response guidebook

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is soliciting comments on the development of the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook, particularly from those who have experience using the 2004 guidebook during a hazardous materials incident, according to information published in the Federal Register July 19. ...

Linden Bulk takes home NJMTA awards

Linden Bulk Transportation Co Inc, Linden NJ, is on the winning list at the New Jersey Motor Truck Association (NJMTA) this year, having taken home the Fleet Safety Award for its category and the 2006 Driver of the Year Award....

ULSD production spikes in June

By the end of June, refiners were producing more than 2 million barrels per day of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD), substantial quantities as a result of new cleaner-burning fuel mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to the American Petroleum Institute's (API's) monthly statistical report for June....

GA requires CDL holders to complete Highway Watch program

A new law in Georgia requires all truck drivers seeking or renewing commercial driver licenses (CDLs) to complete a Highway Watch training program, according to Georgia Motor Trucking Association information....

Schneider driver winner in NASCAR promotion from PSC

A driver for Schneider National Inc's bulk division in Houston TX, Terrell Struggs, temporarily traded his seat in the truck cab recently for one in a NASCAR racing car as the winner of a promotion by Philip Services Corp (PSC), Houston TX. Struggs's winnings allowed him to drive 30 laps on the oval at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte NC....

Weekly on-road diesel price inches up

Last week's national average on-road diesel price of $2.926 per gallon inched up .008 cent, compared to the week before, according to July 17 information from the Department of Energy (DOE). The price the week before was reported at $2.918 per gallon....

NPRA reports 149 US refineries in operation

There were 149 operable refineries in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands) with a total crude distillation capacity of 17.3 million barrels per calendar day, and 18.3 million barrels per stream day as of January 1, 2006, according to information from the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA)....

Truckers to compete for top driving award

Nearly 400 top professional truck drivers from all across the United States soon will be heading for New Orleans to compete in the 2006 National Truck Driving Championships to be held August 15 to 19 in New Orleans' Ernest N Morial Convention Center. The Super Bowl of Safety is hosted annually by American Trucking Associations....