News

Governor Lamont has issued an amended Executive Order regarding the tractor trailer travel ban. The ban on tandems and empty trailers has been extended to apply to all limited access highways. The list of exemptions to the ban has been slightly expanded, specifically, to include food, medical supplies, and fuel. A copy of the amended…

From Transport Topics. President Joe Biden has appointed Meera Joshi to serve as deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Joshi’s appointment Jan. 21, the day after Biden’s inauguration. Joshi represents one of 40 people who were appointed to federal government posts that day. Joshi previously served…

From Fleet Owner. TFI International Inc. (TFI) is buying UPS Freight, the less-than-truckload (LTL) and dedicated truckload (TL) division of United Parcel Service Inc., for $800 million, the two companies announced. Approximately 90% of the acquired business will operate independently within TFI International’s LTL business segment under a new name, TForce Freight. Acquired dedicated TL…

From Overdrive Online. Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden’s pick for Transportation Secretary, testified Thursday morning in front of a smattering of Senators as the first step in the Senate’s role in confirming him as part of Biden’s Cabinet. Infrastructure, particularly highway funding mechanisms, dominated much of the largely congratulatory hearing, though a few Senators did…

From Transport Topics. The Connecticut Department of Transportation released its $9.7 billion capital plan, which includes investments across various modes of transportation over the next five years. The plan, which covers fiscal years 2021-25, includes investments for repairs and upgrades across multiple modes, such as highways, bridges, public transit and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. CTDOT…

From CNBC. President Joe Biden plans to replace the government’s fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., he said Monday when signing a new “Buy American” executive order. The government is a major purchaser of vehicles. However, replacing such a fleet with American-produced EVs will be costly and take time.…

From Transport Topics. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2018 determination that interstate motor carriers are exempt from California’s stringent meal-and-rest-break rules, a decision that supporters say will avoid a future state-by-state patchwork of rest break rules. “The FMCSA reached this conclusion because California required more…

From FreightWaves. Drivers, carriers and medical review officers (MROs) could be fined up to $5,833 for each violation of any provisions within the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, according to the latest directive from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT issued a final rule on Monday that implements the authority of the Federal Motor Carrier…

From CNN via Hartford Business Journal. Joe Biden is now President and Democrats have gained a slim majority in the Senate along with the party’s control of the House. Does that mean that this is finally the time for Congress to pass a big, bold infrastructure spending bill that can help boost the economy? There…

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is announcing some MTAC-supported improvements to its system which allows commercial truck dealers to perform certain registrations in-house, rather than having to physically go to the DMV. The DMV will now allow dealers to register commercial (non-IRP) trucks with a (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) as high as 73,000…