Transpo bill with regulations changes awaits Obama’s signature

Transpo bill with regulations changes awaits Obama’s signature

The U.S. Senate passed by an 83-16 vote late Thursday, Dec. 3, the five-year, $305 billion FAST Act surface transportation funding bill, meaning the legislation is only President Obama’s signature shy of being enacted.

The bill includes a number of trucking regulatory reforms, and it will, upon enactment, remove carrier rankings in the federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program from public view.

Ford Pumps $1.3 Billion into Truck Plant to Produce 2017 F-Series Super

Ford Motor Co., said this week it is investing $1.3 billion in its Kentucky Truck Plant to support the launch of the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty truck, which it calls the most capable Super Duty truck lineup ever.
Ford is investing $1.3 billion for an all-new body shop, facility upgrades and retooling to build the new aluminum-bodied Super Duty truck at Kentucky Truck Plant. Add to that the $80 million invested in 2014 to the demand for Super Duty trucks and $129 million to support Lincoln MKC production at Louisville Assembly Plant, and Ford has invested more than $1.5 billion in the commonwealth of Kentucky and the city of Louisville in the past two years.
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Trucking Industry Lauds Senate, House Accord on Highway Funding Bill

Top executives of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) are praising the House and Senate for coming together on a long-term highway funding bill that they claim will advance the cause of trucking safety and efficiency.
“The announcement that House and Senate leaders had reached an agreement on a long-term highway bill is welcome news to those of us in the transportation world,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “While we all, of course, wish there was more money to be had, this bill takes important steps to re-focus the program on important national projects and takes critical steps to improve trucking safety and efficiency.”
Trucking Industry Lauds Senate, House Accord on Highway Funding Bill

OOIDA calls for delay in new medical certification program

Following up on a similar and unanswered request from last May, the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Assn. (OOIDA) has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to extend the Dec. 22 deadline to implement changes in the Medical Examiner’s Certification Integration Final Rule—an extension necessary to avoid “a potential storm” of confusion over CDL renewals.

Fleet wants 3rd parties allowed to obtain medical records

Atlantic and Pacific Freightways has applied for an exemption from a DOT regulation requiring carriers to obtain updated motor vehicle records of drivers when they undergo new medical examinations.The request was made on behalf of all carriers required to obtain MVRs under this rule.

Minor change to DOT physical form to take effect this month, more changes to system coming

One part of a Final Rule published in April that made changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s medical examination regulations will take effect Dec. 22.

Drivers going in for their DOT physicals after Dec. 22, 2015, will notice a new Medical Examination Report Form, which features more questions about medical history.

Shell grows LNG fueling network with new California station

Shell has announced the opening of new LNG lanes at a TravelCenters of America LLC (TA) truck fueling station in Santa Nella, California.
This new station is the second one in California and follows on the heels of the opening of Shell LNG fueling lanes in Texas and Louisiana earlier this year. The station is strategically located along the interstate highway in Northern California, a region with heavy truck traffic.