Transportation

Washington – Workers are dying as a result of the delays in the rulemaking process, witnesses told a Senate subcommittee on Aug. 1.

Washington – A federal appeals court on Aug. 2 upheld all but one provision of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2011 hours-of-service final rule.

Washington – Eliminating a “burdensome” paperwork requirement for truck inspections will save the trucking industry $1.7 billion annually, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a notice of proposed rulemaking announced Aug. 1.

To help truck drivers be physically and mentally prepared for the demands of their jobs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandates a minimum number of hours drivers must sleep on days they drive. What these regulations cannot take into account, however, is whether drivers who have a sleeping disorder have actually achieved restful sleep before getting behind the wheel.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s cross-border trucking pilot program will continue, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on July 26.

Washington – The Federal Highway Administration has updated its proposed National Tunnel Inspection Standards to incorporate provisions mandated by MAP-21, a surface transportation funding bill signed into law July 2012.

Washington – South Dakota has the lowest rate of safety belt usage, at 66.5 percent, while 96.9 percent of drivers in Washington state buckle up, according to a new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on safety belt use in 2012.

Washington – The importance of safety culture in the transportation industry is the subject of a National Transportation Safety Board forum slated for Sept. 10-11 in Washington.

Washington – Single-unit trucks should be included in many of the same safety rules as other types of large trucks, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Washington – The Transportation Security Administration will continue to enforce a ban on small knives in carry-on luggage for flights, the agency announced June 5.