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From Transport Topics. Soaring prices for diesel fuel, rising maintenance costs and higher wages for drivers pushed the price of operating a truck up 12.7% in 2021 to $1.855 per mile — the highest level on record — according a report released Aug. 10 by the American Transportation Research Institute. The study, called “An Analysis…

From Transport Topics. President Joe Biden enacted into law legislation designed to enhance domestic semiconductor manufacturing and alleviate supply chain bottlenecks. At a signing ceremony for the bill at the White House on Aug. 9, Biden emphasized its potential economic and social benefits. “As we saw during the pandemic,” Biden told the crowd, which included…

From Freight Waves. Every data point was higher in the first survey of driver pay conducted by the research arm of the American Trucking Associations since before the pandemic. The Drive Compensation Study released Wednesday covers data for 2021, and its reference points are comparisons to 2019. In a media call, ATA chief economist Bob…

From Transport Topics. Two House lawmakers formed a group to promote autonomous vehicle policies on Capitol Hill. Their aim is to generate support from colleagues for comprehensive legislation targeting the technology. This month, Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio) launched the Congressional Autonomous Vehicle Caucus. The policymakers are longtime advocates for applying autonomous…

MTAC is excited to announce that registration for the 2022 MTAC Annual Meeting is now open. Attendees who register before September 5 will be entered into a drawing to receive a free registration, so don’t delay, register today. This year’s Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel…

From Transport Topics. A challenge to certain federal hours-of-service regulations filed by the Teamsters Union and three nonprofits will not be reviewed by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In their legal challenge, the groups argued that the May 2020 final hours-of-service rule was “arbitrary and…

From Freight Waves. Class 8 truck orders in July resembled popular concert tickets the day after they are sold out. No one orders any. The analogy by Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles for FTR Transportation Intelligence, captures the situation and the sentiment surrounding new equipment. Parts and components availability is improving. But it…

From Transport Topics. Efforts are underway in federal and state-level prison systems to help inmates train for and transition into careers in trucking upon their release, with the Federal Bureau of Prisons expanding its commercial driver license programs to focus on women, and Connecticut working on a new driver training program at its state prisons.…

From Fleet Owner. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has launched a short survey to better understand truck driver perspectives and issues with driver-facing cameras. The 20-question survey will poll drivers on their opinion of camera technology and ask for suggestions on what could be done for more drivers to accept driver-facing cameras. ATRI’s driver-facing…

From Transport Topics. Legislation that would fund federal transportation programs in fiscal 2023 was recently approved in the U.S. House of Representatives. Members of the chamber on July 20 passed the legislation, which would back safety initiatives, infrastructure grants and operational expenses throughout the U.S. Department of Transportation. Specifically, the bill would dedicate $90.9 billion…