Transportation

Washington – Legislation introduced in the House Oct. 30 would put on hold new restrictions on when commercial truck drivers can “restart” their weekly maximum driving hours – until an independent study is conducted.

Washington – Recent changes to federal hours-of-service rules top a list of concerns identified by members of the trucking industry in a survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing changes to the design of its truck and bus carrier ratings website, the agency announced Nov. 5.

San Francisco – California on Oct. 31 adopted “comprehensive” safety rules for roadway workers who perform maintenance and repairs on or near rail transit tracks.

Washington – Speeding remains the largest contributing factor in fatal crashes involving drivers of large trucks, according to a new report of 2011 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

New York – A new online tool from the American National Standards Institute provides free “read-only” access to certain voluntary consensus standards that have been incorporated by reference into federal regulations.

Washington – A proposed rule that would modernize OSHA’s reporting system has cleared one regulatory hurdle and could be published soon.

After a prolonged legal battle, new limits on truck driver hours of service are now in effect. But some industry stakeholders, labor unions and transportation safety advocates continue to disagree on whether the new regulations will increase driver safety and health and how the trucking industry will be affected.

Shandong, China – Recreational workouts may help reduce the risk of hypertension, but job-related physical activity does not appear to have the same effect, according to a new study from Shandong University.

Washington – A new campaign from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asks parents to discuss five critical driving safety behaviors with their teens.