Trucking News - November 2004
Our news is provided as a courtesy Of OOIDA / Land Line Magazine
Used with permission. Unauthorized Use or Duplication Is Prohibited
Used with permission. Unauthorized Use or Duplication Is Prohibited
Oil companies report higher profits
11/02/2004 - 7:48:23 am - ChevronTexaco, the last major U.S. integrated oil company to report results this quarter, said total revenues jumped to $40.72 billion from $30.84 billion a year earlier ...
Christmas retail goods face delays at ports
11/02/2004 - 7:49:27 am - Movement of shipping containers filled with goods meant for sale prior to the December holidays is being slowed by jams at overloaded ports and trucking terminals. ...
Diesel prices decline reversing a month of increases
11/02/2004 - 7:50:27 am - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel Monday, Nov. 1, declined to $2.206 from last week’s average of $2.212, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Tennessee DOT considers slower speeds, truck lane restrictions
11/02/2004 - 7:53:43 am - The speed limit truckers can travel in Tennessee and the lanes they can use may change soon. The state’s transportation commissioner is considering requests from ...
Suspects charged in Missouri I-44 trucker shooting
11/04/2004 - 8:57:26 am - Two suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting on Interstate 44 in rural Missouri in which a bullet struck a truck driver in the head, a spokesman ...
Oil drops below $50 a barrel
11/04/2004 - 8:58:09 am - The price of oil closed below $50 Tuesday for the first time in weeks on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The closing price in trading Tuesday, Nov. 2, was $49.62. ...
Election Day: Transportation initiatives across the states
11/04/2004 - 8:58:58 am - On Election Day, voters in many states had their say on various transportation-related initiatives. Check your December 2004 issue of Land Line for a wrap-up of the results ...
Missouri voters return road money to roads
11/04/2004 - 9:00:47 am - The citizens of Missouri have voted to remedy one of truckers’ great pet peeves – the diversion of fuel tax and other road user taxes to non-highway uses. Voters on ...
Show-me speed trap considers calling it quits
11/06/2004 - 10:30:51 pm - One of Missouri’s more notorious speed traps may soon cease to exist. Macks Creek, a town of 267 people founded in 1872, is about 13 miles southwest of Lake of the ...
Negotiations set to resume between Pennsylvania Turnpike, workers
11/06/2004 - 10:32:01 pm - A toll collectors’ strike may yet be avoided on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Pennsylvania Turnpike officials announced earlier this week that they planned to meet ...
Official says New Hampshire highway ‘not safe’ to drive
11/06/2004 - 10:32:45 pm - New Hampshire’s top transportation officials told a chamber of commerce gathering recently that the state’s main north-south highway corridor was unsafe to drive. ...
Tanker driver charged with making false statements
11/06/2004 - 10:34:20 pm - More than 700 people – including a trucker – were arrested on immigration violations and thousands more subjected to FBI interviews in an intense government effort to avert a ...
GAO says NHTSA’s accident causation program needs help
11/06/2004 - 10:35:22 pm - Identifying hazards and corrective safety measures on a national level to prevent highway accidents is complicated by the fact that data collection varies from state to state, ...
Schwarzenegger names city official to head Caltrans
11/08/2004 - 3:39:22 pm - Will Kempton, assistant city manager of Folsom, CA, has been named to head the California Department of Transportation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office announced recently ...
Split speed elimination awaits Senate vote in Illinois
11/08/2004 - 3:41:29 pm - The Illinois Senate will soon vote on whether to override the governor’s veto of SB2374, a bill that would eliminate the split speed limit in the state. A ...
Alabama voters reject truck tax change
11/08/2004 - 3:42:34 pm - On Election Day, Alabama voters resoundingly defeated an attempt to change how commercial trucks and truck trailers are taxed in their state. A proposed amendment ...
TV report on inspections has truckers seeing red
11/08/2004 - 3:44:39 pm - A report on a Houston television station is causing furor in the trucking community. The report, which anchors at ABC affiliate KTRK Channel 13 identified as a new ...
Diesel prices decline second consecutive week
11/08/2004 - 3:46:03 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel Monday, Nov. 8, declined from last week’s average of $2.206 to $2.163, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Powell in Mexico on truck, trade discussions
11/08/2004 - 3:47:16 pm - Secretary of State Colin Powell flew to Mexico City Sunday, Nov. 7, for meetings of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission to discuss trade and trucks, among other items, the ...
High crude prices spark renewed interest in Arctic refuge
11/08/2004 - 3:50:46 pm - Republican leaders say they will try to make Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling part of the budget bill, which would require only 50 votes to pass and can’t be ...
Highway bill likely to await 109th Congress
11/08/2004 - 3:52:03 pm - Transportation leaders may push for a conference agreement on the federal highway and transit program reauthorization during the coming “lame duck” session, but many say it is ...
Schwarzenegger wants color coding on licenses for illegal immigrants
11/10/2004 - 8:35:27 am - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said recently he would not sign legislation to grant illegal immigrants driver’s licenses unless the documents carry some kind of clear ...
Washington state DOT likely to push for HOT lanes
11/10/2004 - 8:37:16 am - Changes in the Washington state Senate have boosted the prospects for high-occupancy toll lanes, or HOT lanes, on Seattle-area freeways. This past year, the ...
Port terminals to add more off-hours shifts sooner
11/10/2004 - 8:39:13 am - Marine terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach plan to speed up the start of their PierPass program, which will open the terminals during some night and weekend ...
FBI investigating theft of propane tanks
11/10/2004 - 8:40:36 am - The theft of 100 cylinders containing propane gas in Colorado has prompted an investigation by the FBI, media outlets reported. The FBI investigation was first ...
Price of crude oil drops further
11/10/2004 - 8:42:14 am - The price of crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped to just above $47.37 at the close of trading Tuesday, Nov. 9. The per barrel price had soared ...
Lack of investment points to refinery concerns
11/10/2004 - 8:45:47 am - Oil company executives locked inside “boom or bust thinking” are showing little interest in projects that would meet profit goals only when oil prices are high – in fact, ...
FMCSA wants stricter HOS verification
11/10/2004 - 8:47:21 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants carriers to more closely verify drivers’ hours of service and supporting logs, according to a Federal Register notice ...
Utah lawmakers seek tax and fee hikes for roads, transit
11/10/2004 - 10:06:03 pm - A panel of Utah legislators is recommending more than $4 billion in additional funds be set aside over the next decade for transportation projects, with a combination of sales ...
Big Dig or Big Drain? Boston tunnels leaking
11/10/2004 - 10:07:00 pm - The Big Dig, Boston’s massive underground highway tunnel system, is leaking water to the tune of 26 million gallons a year, The Boston Globe reported. Engineers ...
Latest round of Texas superhighway hearings wrap up next week
11/10/2004 - 10:09:33 pm - Additional hearings to determine the route of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor, a futuristic plan to improve passenger and freight travel in the Lone Star State, are ...
MoDOT not wasting time in planning for Amendment 3 money
11/10/2004 - 10:11:35 pm - The good news in Missouri: Roads will soon get much better. The bad news: Lots of orange barrels are in your future. The state’s Department of Transportation ...
NTSB wants national accident data collection system
11/10/2004 - 10:14:09 pm - The National Transportation Safety Board wants a national system to collect accident data, including information regarding medical conditions of the drivers involved ...
NJ Turnpike plan to cut some discounts won’t affect trucks
11/14/2004 - 9:18:40 pm - The New Jersey Turnpike is considering eliminating some discounts now received by car drivers who use E-ZPass on the highway, a spokesman for the agency that operates the road ...
Idaho governor hints at major road work plan
11/14/2004 - 9:19:32 pm - Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne is mulling over a new transportation plan for the state. Kempthorne told the North Idaho Chamber of Commerce in November he’s considering ...
Missouri puts spotlight on making U.S. 36 an interstate-style highway
11/14/2004 - 9:20:22 pm - Missouri transportation officials have long held the goal of making U.S. 36 a four-lane, divided highway across the entire state. And now that goal may become reality ...
Washington state study touts truck-only tollway
11/14/2004 - 9:21:56 pm - If a Washington state lawmaker has his way, commercial trucks would travel along a 100-mile, toll road from the southwest part of the state to Interstate 90, bypassing the ...
DMV employees may have sold licenses to illegal aliens
11/14/2004 - 9:22:37 pm - Several workers at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles are being investigated after officials alleged that they had sold driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants ...
Troublesome work zones on PA Turnpike back to normal
11/14/2004 - 9:23:17 pm - Work in dozens of miles of construction zones along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which has affected traffic for six years, may soon be completed, media outlets reported ...
Maryland county rejects tolls on I-81
11/14/2004 - 9:24:24 pm - Commissioners in Washington County, MD, have said they will oppose any plan to add tolls to Interstate 81 within their county. Commissioners said they were ...
Michigan bill allowing longer trucks advances
11/14/2004 - 9:25:52 pm - A bill that would allow longer trucks on Michigan state roads is closer to becoming law. The state Senate signed off on the measure Nov. 10 to increase the ...
New Jersey bill eases toll-road data access
11/14/2004 - 9:27:06 pm - A New Jersey Assembly panel has voted in favor of a bill that would authorize prosecutors to use information from toll-road and photo-monitoring systems in criminal cases ...
Illinois House takes another step toward making bill to end split speeds a law
11/14/2004 - 9:28:22 pm - Illinois state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, has filed a motion to override the governor’s veto of SB2374 in the state’s House of Representatives. The bill would end ...
Canada pot plan would slow U.S. border more, official warns
11/14/2004 - 9:29:46 pm - The American ambassador to Canada warned Nov. 12 that Canada`s move toward decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana would worsen congestion problems at the U.S. border, ...
Border security measures concern Canadian truckers as holidays near
11/14/2004 - 9:31:02 pm - Starting Monday, Nov. 15, Canadian truckers are to begin registering their cargo with U.S. Customs before they get to the border. In December, drivers who recently immigrated ...
NTSB wants greater oversight of four-wheeler drivers with medical conditions
11/16/2004 - 8:52:07 pm - With 191 million licensed drivers in the United States and virtually no mechanisms to provide medical oversight of non-commercial drivers, the NTSB is promoting a dozen new ...
Trucks figure in Al-Qaida disaster scenario, report says
11/16/2004 - 8:53:03 pm - Al-Qaida has considered using trucks to smuggle nuclear material into the United States through Mexico, an Egyptian operative from the extremist group has told interrogators. ...
Record number of transit measures pass across the country
11/16/2004 - 8:55:39 pm - Denver-area voters earlier this month approved one of 22 transit initiatives nationwide, a record number on a single Election Day, which transit advocates say signals a trend ...
Powell, three others depart Cabinet; Mineta’s resignation speculated
11/16/2004 - 8:56:54 pm - Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta – although expected to step down – was not one of four members of President George W. Bush’s Cabinet whose departures were confirmed by ...
Diesel prices continue downward slide as supplies reportedly rise
11/16/2004 - 8:57:52 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel fell again Monday, Nov. 15, to $2.132 from last week’s average of $2.163, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Land Line wins awards
11/16/2004 - 8:59:46 pm - Land Line magazine was honored Tuesday, Nov. 16, at the annual International Automotive Media Awards, a national competition of automotive and other related magazines ...
Price of crude oil drops to near $46 a barrel
11/16/2004 - 9:00:40 pm - After spending a month hovering in the $50 or above range, oil dropped early this week, closing Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 15 and 16, below $47 a barrel. The closing ...
TWIC card to be tested
11/16/2004 - 9:01:45 pm - Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security in the Department of Homeland Security, is due to join other state and local officials Nov. 17 at the ...
Report: Big Dig leaks worse than previously reported
11/18/2004 - 9:34:46 am - The leak problem in Boston’s Big Dig – which includes portions of Interstates 93 and 90 – is even worse than first thought, media outlets reported Nov. 17. The Big ...
Virginia’s ‘photo red’ may be dead; Philadelphia readies its system
11/18/2004 - 9:37:52 am - The debate in Virginia about using cameras to catch stoplight scofflaws will continue in the state’s 2005 legislative session. State Sen. Jeannemarie Davis, ...
Pennsylvania Turnpike strike more likely after talks break down again
11/18/2004 - 9:39:19 am - Talks aimed at avoiding a strike of toll takers and other workers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike broke down earlier this week, the Turnpike Commission announced. The ...
New California DMV chief advocated taxing all drivers by the mile
11/18/2004 - 9:41:15 am - The appointment of a new state official is making waves in California, and the possible use of GPS devices in vehicles is at the center of the storm. The ...
DOT to target third-party CDL fraud in the states
11/18/2004 - 9:42:12 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has hired a contractor to develop a model program to identify and prevent third-party CDL fraud schemes in the states ...
No second chance for split speed bill in Illinois
11/18/2004 - 9:44:04 am - Supporters of SB2374, the bill that would have ended the split speed limit in Illinois, are not likely to make a second attempt to override the governor’s veto. Rep ...
How ’bout them apples?
11/20/2004 - 12:44:29 pm - An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but it very well could help you fight off such maladies as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, a study from Cornell University ...
Capitol Holiday Tree goes for a ride
11/20/2004 - 12:46:12 pm - The 2004 Capitol Holiday Tree officially began the trek to Washington, DC, Nov. 13 during a send-off ceremony in Monterey, VA. Media and the public watched as the 70-foot red ...
Arkansas steps up seat-belt enforcement
11/20/2004 - 12:47:26 pm - Law-enforcement officials in Arkansas are cracking down on seat-belt use through the end of the month, the State Police announced. “We are committed and serious ...
Scientist raises warning flag over Bextra, but maker defends painkiller
11/20/2004 - 12:48:38 pm - The painkiller Bextra could pose an even greater risk of heart attack or stroke than Vioxx, according to a Pennsylvania scientist. That scientist, Garret A. ...
USDA alerts public to possible case of “mad cow” disease; awaiting test results
11/20/2004 - 12:50:24 pm - Another case of “mad cow” disease may have been found in the United States, the U.S. Agriculture Department announced Thursday, Nov. 18. Previous cases of the ...
Chassis pool implemented at Virginia port terminals
11/20/2004 - 12:51:40 pm - Virginia International Terminals Inc. has started a new chassis pool for its port terminals. VIT operates the Virginia Port Authority’s three cargo terminals in ...
Add to list of highway hazards: frozen turkeys
11/20/2004 - 12:52:40 pm - Truckers face numerous hazards on the highways, from rocks flung by tires to objects tossed off of bridges. But a car driver on New York’s Long Island was recently ...
California board: Trains must use low-sulfur fuel, just like trucks
11/20/2004 - 12:53:20 pm - Soon, trains in California will face the same boutique fuel challenge that trucks do. The California Air Resources Board recently ruled that intrastate locomotives ...
Pennsylvania struggling with transit-funding solution
11/20/2004 - 12:54:48 pm - With the legislative session rapidly drawing to a close, Pennsylvania state lawmakers are at a standstill on how best to aid the state’s struggling public transit agencies ...
Crude price soars on refinery outage report
11/20/2004 - 12:56:06 pm - Crude oil prices rose to more than $48 a barrel Friday, Nov. 19, as concerns about winter supplies of heating oil were fueled by a reported refinery outage in Venezuela ...
Kenworth extends rebate to OOIDA members
11/20/2004 - 12:57:05 pm - Kenworth Truck Co. announced this week that a successful rebate program with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association will be extended through 2005 ...
Maryland panel: keep current driver’s license rules
11/22/2004 - 9:47:27 pm - A Maryland state task force is preparing to issue a report that recommends the state keep its current rules restricting undocumented immigrants from getting driver’s licenses ...
Complaints flood in about Texas fuel pumps
11/22/2004 - 9:49:25 pm - Do you think you may have been shorted at the fuel pump? In Texas, hundreds of consumers have been wondering the same thing. With diesel prices in the Lone Star ...
Diesel, oil prices down
11/22/2004 - 9:50:53 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel fell again Monday, Nov. 22, to $2.116 from last week’s average of $2.132, the Department of Energy reported ...
NTSB updates ‘Most Wanted’ list
11/22/2004 - 9:52:13 pm - The government should be doing more to prevent accidents and enhance safety for the traveling public, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The ...
No highway bill may spell ‘disaster’ for industry
11/22/2004 - 9:55:12 pm - With the failure of Congress to pass the highway bill before adjourning for the Thanksgiving holiday, numerous road projects across the country could come to a standstill and ...
Passenger vehicle safety targeted by ‘global standardization’
11/24/2004 - 9:34:03 am - The United States and more than 20 other nations have agreed on a new standard intended to lead to safer passenger vehicles worldwide. This “global ...
Pennsylvania GOP closes book on transit-funding issue
11/24/2004 - 9:35:38 am - Republicans who control the Pennsylvania General Assembly say they won’t return to the capitol to discuss the state’s cash-strapped public transit systems. Gov. Ed ...
Baby Bells fight to outlaw free Wi-Fi
11/24/2004 - 9:36:46 am - Three of the nation’s largest former Bell telephone companies – Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest – are pushing for legislation that would bar cities from offering Wi-Fi Web access ...
Alabama highway gets federal dollars
11/24/2004 - 9:38:14 am - The transportation bill – and with it, highway funds for most of the United States – did not make it through Congress this year. However, at least one project is moving ...
GE to buy CitiCapital truck-financing business
11/24/2004 - 9:38:54 am - CitiCapital will sell its Transportation Financial Services Group – which provides financing, leasing and other services to the commercial trucking industry – to GE Commercial ...
Ohio lawmaker seeks funding to cover turnpike’s decrease in truck tolls
11/24/2004 - 9:40:52 am - An Ohio state legislator has introduced a bill that would allow the state to borrow $23.4 million to subsidize the Ohio Turnpike Commission’s proposed temporary toll reduction ...
Thanksgiving strike possible on Pennsylvania Turnpike
11/24/2004 - 9:42:31 am - Pennsylvania Turnpike officials are warning all highway users that the road’s toll takers and other union workers may go on strike Wednesday, Nov. 24, the day before ...
New Jersey lawmaker resigns after guilty plea
11/28/2004 - 4:34:07 pm - A New Jersey state lawmaker who had served as an ethics watchdog resigned from office Nov. 19 after pleading guilty to diverting campaign funds for personal use ...
Bad driver surcharge sought in Virginia
11/28/2004 - 4:35:43 pm - Northern Virginia lawmakers are touting a plan to get “bad drivers” to help pay for building new roads that could ease congestion in the state. Bill supporters say ...
Gridlock bill fails passage in Pennsylvania
11/28/2004 - 4:36:57 pm - An effort to reduce gridlock caused by accidents in Pennsylvania has died. The “Steer it Clear” bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kate Harper, R-Lower Gwynedd, sought ...
Thanksgiving travel up 3.1 percent
11/28/2004 - 4:38:04 pm - If the roads seem a little busier this Thanksgiving holiday, it’s because they are – at least more so than they have been the past few years. AAA released estimates ...
Animal didn’t have ‘mad cow’ disease, USDA says
11/28/2004 - 4:39:42 pm - A possible case of “mad cow” disease reported earlier this month by U.S. officials was a false alarm. John Clifford, deputy administrator of the Animal and Plant ...
Seat-belt use on the rise in 37 states; national average usage hits all-time high
11/28/2004 - 4:41:12 pm - More and more car doors are slamming followed by the sound of a seat belt clicking, providing music to the ears of state and federal officials who have been pushing for ...
Pennsylvania Turnpike workers now on strike
11/28/2004 - 4:43:21 pm - Toll takers and other workers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are now on strike. In response, the Turnpike Commission announced that it will waive all tolls until ...
Interstate Distributor Delivers Christmas Trees To The White House
11/29/2004 - 12:17:26 pm - From one Washington to another by: C.R. ROBERTS; The News Tribune Tacoma, Wa. It’s going to be a Burton Blue Christmas in the White House this year, as Washington ...
Tow truck driver honored for wrecking escape of suspected shooter
11/30/2004 - 9:54:36 am - A tow truck driver from Appleton, WI, is being recognized for his work helping police nab a man accused of shooting another man to death. The driver used his wrecker to stop ...
Diesel prices relatively unchanged; oil prices near $50 a barrel
11/30/2004 - 9:55:39 am - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel on Monday, Nov. 29, is $2.116 – the same as last week, the Department of Energy reported. The average price of ...
Chicago trucker dies in Indiana accident
11/30/2004 - 9:56:27 am - A truck slammed into semitrailer that had broken down on Interstate 80 in Hammond, IN, on Nov. 22, fatally crushing Willie Taylor, 50, of Chicago. Taylor was pinned between ...
Pennsylvania to hike fuel tax
11/30/2004 - 9:58:08 am - Truckers traveling in Pennsylvania will have to fork over an additional 4 cents a gallon at the pump after a higher state fuel tax kicks in Jan. 1, with the windfall going for ...
Pike strike: they’re talking
11/30/2004 - 9:59:28 am - When it comes to wages, toll takers are telling officials at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to show them the money. On Monday, Nov. 29, a meeting was scheduled between ...
< Back to News Archive
11/02/2004 - 7:48:23 am - ChevronTexaco, the last major U.S. integrated oil company to report results this quarter, said total revenues jumped to $40.72 billion from $30.84 billion a year earlier ...
Christmas retail goods face delays at ports
11/02/2004 - 7:49:27 am - Movement of shipping containers filled with goods meant for sale prior to the December holidays is being slowed by jams at overloaded ports and trucking terminals. ...
Diesel prices decline reversing a month of increases
11/02/2004 - 7:50:27 am - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel Monday, Nov. 1, declined to $2.206 from last week’s average of $2.212, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Tennessee DOT considers slower speeds, truck lane restrictions
11/02/2004 - 7:53:43 am - The speed limit truckers can travel in Tennessee and the lanes they can use may change soon. The state’s transportation commissioner is considering requests from ...
Suspects charged in Missouri I-44 trucker shooting
11/04/2004 - 8:57:26 am - Two suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting on Interstate 44 in rural Missouri in which a bullet struck a truck driver in the head, a spokesman ...
Oil drops below $50 a barrel
11/04/2004 - 8:58:09 am - The price of oil closed below $50 Tuesday for the first time in weeks on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The closing price in trading Tuesday, Nov. 2, was $49.62. ...
Election Day: Transportation initiatives across the states
11/04/2004 - 8:58:58 am - On Election Day, voters in many states had their say on various transportation-related initiatives. Check your December 2004 issue of Land Line for a wrap-up of the results ...
Missouri voters return road money to roads
11/04/2004 - 9:00:47 am - The citizens of Missouri have voted to remedy one of truckers’ great pet peeves – the diversion of fuel tax and other road user taxes to non-highway uses. Voters on ...
Show-me speed trap considers calling it quits
11/06/2004 - 10:30:51 pm - One of Missouri’s more notorious speed traps may soon cease to exist. Macks Creek, a town of 267 people founded in 1872, is about 13 miles southwest of Lake of the ...
Negotiations set to resume between Pennsylvania Turnpike, workers
11/06/2004 - 10:32:01 pm - A toll collectors’ strike may yet be avoided on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Pennsylvania Turnpike officials announced earlier this week that they planned to meet ...
Official says New Hampshire highway ‘not safe’ to drive
11/06/2004 - 10:32:45 pm - New Hampshire’s top transportation officials told a chamber of commerce gathering recently that the state’s main north-south highway corridor was unsafe to drive. ...
Tanker driver charged with making false statements
11/06/2004 - 10:34:20 pm - More than 700 people – including a trucker – were arrested on immigration violations and thousands more subjected to FBI interviews in an intense government effort to avert a ...
GAO says NHTSA’s accident causation program needs help
11/06/2004 - 10:35:22 pm - Identifying hazards and corrective safety measures on a national level to prevent highway accidents is complicated by the fact that data collection varies from state to state, ...
Schwarzenegger names city official to head Caltrans
11/08/2004 - 3:39:22 pm - Will Kempton, assistant city manager of Folsom, CA, has been named to head the California Department of Transportation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office announced recently ...
Split speed elimination awaits Senate vote in Illinois
11/08/2004 - 3:41:29 pm - The Illinois Senate will soon vote on whether to override the governor’s veto of SB2374, a bill that would eliminate the split speed limit in the state. A ...
Alabama voters reject truck tax change
11/08/2004 - 3:42:34 pm - On Election Day, Alabama voters resoundingly defeated an attempt to change how commercial trucks and truck trailers are taxed in their state. A proposed amendment ...
TV report on inspections has truckers seeing red
11/08/2004 - 3:44:39 pm - A report on a Houston television station is causing furor in the trucking community. The report, which anchors at ABC affiliate KTRK Channel 13 identified as a new ...
Diesel prices decline second consecutive week
11/08/2004 - 3:46:03 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel Monday, Nov. 8, declined from last week’s average of $2.206 to $2.163, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Powell in Mexico on truck, trade discussions
11/08/2004 - 3:47:16 pm - Secretary of State Colin Powell flew to Mexico City Sunday, Nov. 7, for meetings of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission to discuss trade and trucks, among other items, the ...
High crude prices spark renewed interest in Arctic refuge
11/08/2004 - 3:50:46 pm - Republican leaders say they will try to make Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling part of the budget bill, which would require only 50 votes to pass and can’t be ...
Highway bill likely to await 109th Congress
11/08/2004 - 3:52:03 pm - Transportation leaders may push for a conference agreement on the federal highway and transit program reauthorization during the coming “lame duck” session, but many say it is ...
Schwarzenegger wants color coding on licenses for illegal immigrants
11/10/2004 - 8:35:27 am - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said recently he would not sign legislation to grant illegal immigrants driver’s licenses unless the documents carry some kind of clear ...
Washington state DOT likely to push for HOT lanes
11/10/2004 - 8:37:16 am - Changes in the Washington state Senate have boosted the prospects for high-occupancy toll lanes, or HOT lanes, on Seattle-area freeways. This past year, the ...
Port terminals to add more off-hours shifts sooner
11/10/2004 - 8:39:13 am - Marine terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach plan to speed up the start of their PierPass program, which will open the terminals during some night and weekend ...
FBI investigating theft of propane tanks
11/10/2004 - 8:40:36 am - The theft of 100 cylinders containing propane gas in Colorado has prompted an investigation by the FBI, media outlets reported. The FBI investigation was first ...
Price of crude oil drops further
11/10/2004 - 8:42:14 am - The price of crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped to just above $47.37 at the close of trading Tuesday, Nov. 9. The per barrel price had soared ...
Lack of investment points to refinery concerns
11/10/2004 - 8:45:47 am - Oil company executives locked inside “boom or bust thinking” are showing little interest in projects that would meet profit goals only when oil prices are high – in fact, ...
FMCSA wants stricter HOS verification
11/10/2004 - 8:47:21 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants carriers to more closely verify drivers’ hours of service and supporting logs, according to a Federal Register notice ...
Utah lawmakers seek tax and fee hikes for roads, transit
11/10/2004 - 10:06:03 pm - A panel of Utah legislators is recommending more than $4 billion in additional funds be set aside over the next decade for transportation projects, with a combination of sales ...
Big Dig or Big Drain? Boston tunnels leaking
11/10/2004 - 10:07:00 pm - The Big Dig, Boston’s massive underground highway tunnel system, is leaking water to the tune of 26 million gallons a year, The Boston Globe reported. Engineers ...
Latest round of Texas superhighway hearings wrap up next week
11/10/2004 - 10:09:33 pm - Additional hearings to determine the route of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor, a futuristic plan to improve passenger and freight travel in the Lone Star State, are ...
MoDOT not wasting time in planning for Amendment 3 money
11/10/2004 - 10:11:35 pm - The good news in Missouri: Roads will soon get much better. The bad news: Lots of orange barrels are in your future. The state’s Department of Transportation ...
NTSB wants national accident data collection system
11/10/2004 - 10:14:09 pm - The National Transportation Safety Board wants a national system to collect accident data, including information regarding medical conditions of the drivers involved ...
NJ Turnpike plan to cut some discounts won’t affect trucks
11/14/2004 - 9:18:40 pm - The New Jersey Turnpike is considering eliminating some discounts now received by car drivers who use E-ZPass on the highway, a spokesman for the agency that operates the road ...
Idaho governor hints at major road work plan
11/14/2004 - 9:19:32 pm - Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne is mulling over a new transportation plan for the state. Kempthorne told the North Idaho Chamber of Commerce in November he’s considering ...
Missouri puts spotlight on making U.S. 36 an interstate-style highway
11/14/2004 - 9:20:22 pm - Missouri transportation officials have long held the goal of making U.S. 36 a four-lane, divided highway across the entire state. And now that goal may become reality ...
Washington state study touts truck-only tollway
11/14/2004 - 9:21:56 pm - If a Washington state lawmaker has his way, commercial trucks would travel along a 100-mile, toll road from the southwest part of the state to Interstate 90, bypassing the ...
DMV employees may have sold licenses to illegal aliens
11/14/2004 - 9:22:37 pm - Several workers at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles are being investigated after officials alleged that they had sold driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants ...
Troublesome work zones on PA Turnpike back to normal
11/14/2004 - 9:23:17 pm - Work in dozens of miles of construction zones along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which has affected traffic for six years, may soon be completed, media outlets reported ...
Maryland county rejects tolls on I-81
11/14/2004 - 9:24:24 pm - Commissioners in Washington County, MD, have said they will oppose any plan to add tolls to Interstate 81 within their county. Commissioners said they were ...
Michigan bill allowing longer trucks advances
11/14/2004 - 9:25:52 pm - A bill that would allow longer trucks on Michigan state roads is closer to becoming law. The state Senate signed off on the measure Nov. 10 to increase the ...
New Jersey bill eases toll-road data access
11/14/2004 - 9:27:06 pm - A New Jersey Assembly panel has voted in favor of a bill that would authorize prosecutors to use information from toll-road and photo-monitoring systems in criminal cases ...
Illinois House takes another step toward making bill to end split speeds a law
11/14/2004 - 9:28:22 pm - Illinois state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, has filed a motion to override the governor’s veto of SB2374 in the state’s House of Representatives. The bill would end ...
Canada pot plan would slow U.S. border more, official warns
11/14/2004 - 9:29:46 pm - The American ambassador to Canada warned Nov. 12 that Canada`s move toward decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana would worsen congestion problems at the U.S. border, ...
Border security measures concern Canadian truckers as holidays near
11/14/2004 - 9:31:02 pm - Starting Monday, Nov. 15, Canadian truckers are to begin registering their cargo with U.S. Customs before they get to the border. In December, drivers who recently immigrated ...
NTSB wants greater oversight of four-wheeler drivers with medical conditions
11/16/2004 - 8:52:07 pm - With 191 million licensed drivers in the United States and virtually no mechanisms to provide medical oversight of non-commercial drivers, the NTSB is promoting a dozen new ...
Trucks figure in Al-Qaida disaster scenario, report says
11/16/2004 - 8:53:03 pm - Al-Qaida has considered using trucks to smuggle nuclear material into the United States through Mexico, an Egyptian operative from the extremist group has told interrogators. ...
Record number of transit measures pass across the country
11/16/2004 - 8:55:39 pm - Denver-area voters earlier this month approved one of 22 transit initiatives nationwide, a record number on a single Election Day, which transit advocates say signals a trend ...
Powell, three others depart Cabinet; Mineta’s resignation speculated
11/16/2004 - 8:56:54 pm - Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta – although expected to step down – was not one of four members of President George W. Bush’s Cabinet whose departures were confirmed by ...
Diesel prices continue downward slide as supplies reportedly rise
11/16/2004 - 8:57:52 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel fell again Monday, Nov. 15, to $2.132 from last week’s average of $2.163, the U.S. Energy Information Service reported ...
Land Line wins awards
11/16/2004 - 8:59:46 pm - Land Line magazine was honored Tuesday, Nov. 16, at the annual International Automotive Media Awards, a national competition of automotive and other related magazines ...
Price of crude oil drops to near $46 a barrel
11/16/2004 - 9:00:40 pm - After spending a month hovering in the $50 or above range, oil dropped early this week, closing Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 15 and 16, below $47 a barrel. The closing ...
TWIC card to be tested
11/16/2004 - 9:01:45 pm - Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security in the Department of Homeland Security, is due to join other state and local officials Nov. 17 at the ...
Report: Big Dig leaks worse than previously reported
11/18/2004 - 9:34:46 am - The leak problem in Boston’s Big Dig – which includes portions of Interstates 93 and 90 – is even worse than first thought, media outlets reported Nov. 17. The Big ...
Virginia’s ‘photo red’ may be dead; Philadelphia readies its system
11/18/2004 - 9:37:52 am - The debate in Virginia about using cameras to catch stoplight scofflaws will continue in the state’s 2005 legislative session. State Sen. Jeannemarie Davis, ...
Pennsylvania Turnpike strike more likely after talks break down again
11/18/2004 - 9:39:19 am - Talks aimed at avoiding a strike of toll takers and other workers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike broke down earlier this week, the Turnpike Commission announced. The ...
New California DMV chief advocated taxing all drivers by the mile
11/18/2004 - 9:41:15 am - The appointment of a new state official is making waves in California, and the possible use of GPS devices in vehicles is at the center of the storm. The ...
DOT to target third-party CDL fraud in the states
11/18/2004 - 9:42:12 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has hired a contractor to develop a model program to identify and prevent third-party CDL fraud schemes in the states ...
No second chance for split speed bill in Illinois
11/18/2004 - 9:44:04 am - Supporters of SB2374, the bill that would have ended the split speed limit in Illinois, are not likely to make a second attempt to override the governor’s veto. Rep ...
How ’bout them apples?
11/20/2004 - 12:44:29 pm - An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but it very well could help you fight off such maladies as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, a study from Cornell University ...
Capitol Holiday Tree goes for a ride
11/20/2004 - 12:46:12 pm - The 2004 Capitol Holiday Tree officially began the trek to Washington, DC, Nov. 13 during a send-off ceremony in Monterey, VA. Media and the public watched as the 70-foot red ...
Arkansas steps up seat-belt enforcement
11/20/2004 - 12:47:26 pm - Law-enforcement officials in Arkansas are cracking down on seat-belt use through the end of the month, the State Police announced. “We are committed and serious ...
Scientist raises warning flag over Bextra, but maker defends painkiller
11/20/2004 - 12:48:38 pm - The painkiller Bextra could pose an even greater risk of heart attack or stroke than Vioxx, according to a Pennsylvania scientist. That scientist, Garret A. ...
USDA alerts public to possible case of “mad cow” disease; awaiting test results
11/20/2004 - 12:50:24 pm - Another case of “mad cow” disease may have been found in the United States, the U.S. Agriculture Department announced Thursday, Nov. 18. Previous cases of the ...
Chassis pool implemented at Virginia port terminals
11/20/2004 - 12:51:40 pm - Virginia International Terminals Inc. has started a new chassis pool for its port terminals. VIT operates the Virginia Port Authority’s three cargo terminals in ...
Add to list of highway hazards: frozen turkeys
11/20/2004 - 12:52:40 pm - Truckers face numerous hazards on the highways, from rocks flung by tires to objects tossed off of bridges. But a car driver on New York’s Long Island was recently ...
California board: Trains must use low-sulfur fuel, just like trucks
11/20/2004 - 12:53:20 pm - Soon, trains in California will face the same boutique fuel challenge that trucks do. The California Air Resources Board recently ruled that intrastate locomotives ...
Pennsylvania struggling with transit-funding solution
11/20/2004 - 12:54:48 pm - With the legislative session rapidly drawing to a close, Pennsylvania state lawmakers are at a standstill on how best to aid the state’s struggling public transit agencies ...
Crude price soars on refinery outage report
11/20/2004 - 12:56:06 pm - Crude oil prices rose to more than $48 a barrel Friday, Nov. 19, as concerns about winter supplies of heating oil were fueled by a reported refinery outage in Venezuela ...
Kenworth extends rebate to OOIDA members
11/20/2004 - 12:57:05 pm - Kenworth Truck Co. announced this week that a successful rebate program with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association will be extended through 2005 ...
Maryland panel: keep current driver’s license rules
11/22/2004 - 9:47:27 pm - A Maryland state task force is preparing to issue a report that recommends the state keep its current rules restricting undocumented immigrants from getting driver’s licenses ...
Complaints flood in about Texas fuel pumps
11/22/2004 - 9:49:25 pm - Do you think you may have been shorted at the fuel pump? In Texas, hundreds of consumers have been wondering the same thing. With diesel prices in the Lone Star ...
Diesel, oil prices down
11/22/2004 - 9:50:53 pm - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel fell again Monday, Nov. 22, to $2.116 from last week’s average of $2.132, the Department of Energy reported ...
NTSB updates ‘Most Wanted’ list
11/22/2004 - 9:52:13 pm - The government should be doing more to prevent accidents and enhance safety for the traveling public, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The ...
No highway bill may spell ‘disaster’ for industry
11/22/2004 - 9:55:12 pm - With the failure of Congress to pass the highway bill before adjourning for the Thanksgiving holiday, numerous road projects across the country could come to a standstill and ...
Passenger vehicle safety targeted by ‘global standardization’
11/24/2004 - 9:34:03 am - The United States and more than 20 other nations have agreed on a new standard intended to lead to safer passenger vehicles worldwide. This “global ...
Pennsylvania GOP closes book on transit-funding issue
11/24/2004 - 9:35:38 am - Republicans who control the Pennsylvania General Assembly say they won’t return to the capitol to discuss the state’s cash-strapped public transit systems. Gov. Ed ...
Baby Bells fight to outlaw free Wi-Fi
11/24/2004 - 9:36:46 am - Three of the nation’s largest former Bell telephone companies – Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest – are pushing for legislation that would bar cities from offering Wi-Fi Web access ...
Alabama highway gets federal dollars
11/24/2004 - 9:38:14 am - The transportation bill – and with it, highway funds for most of the United States – did not make it through Congress this year. However, at least one project is moving ...
GE to buy CitiCapital truck-financing business
11/24/2004 - 9:38:54 am - CitiCapital will sell its Transportation Financial Services Group – which provides financing, leasing and other services to the commercial trucking industry – to GE Commercial ...
Ohio lawmaker seeks funding to cover turnpike’s decrease in truck tolls
11/24/2004 - 9:40:52 am - An Ohio state legislator has introduced a bill that would allow the state to borrow $23.4 million to subsidize the Ohio Turnpike Commission’s proposed temporary toll reduction ...
Thanksgiving strike possible on Pennsylvania Turnpike
11/24/2004 - 9:42:31 am - Pennsylvania Turnpike officials are warning all highway users that the road’s toll takers and other union workers may go on strike Wednesday, Nov. 24, the day before ...
New Jersey lawmaker resigns after guilty plea
11/28/2004 - 4:34:07 pm - A New Jersey state lawmaker who had served as an ethics watchdog resigned from office Nov. 19 after pleading guilty to diverting campaign funds for personal use ...
Bad driver surcharge sought in Virginia
11/28/2004 - 4:35:43 pm - Northern Virginia lawmakers are touting a plan to get “bad drivers” to help pay for building new roads that could ease congestion in the state. Bill supporters say ...
Gridlock bill fails passage in Pennsylvania
11/28/2004 - 4:36:57 pm - An effort to reduce gridlock caused by accidents in Pennsylvania has died. The “Steer it Clear” bill, sponsored by state Rep. Kate Harper, R-Lower Gwynedd, sought ...
Thanksgiving travel up 3.1 percent
11/28/2004 - 4:38:04 pm - If the roads seem a little busier this Thanksgiving holiday, it’s because they are – at least more so than they have been the past few years. AAA released estimates ...
Animal didn’t have ‘mad cow’ disease, USDA says
11/28/2004 - 4:39:42 pm - A possible case of “mad cow” disease reported earlier this month by U.S. officials was a false alarm. John Clifford, deputy administrator of the Animal and Plant ...
Seat-belt use on the rise in 37 states; national average usage hits all-time high
11/28/2004 - 4:41:12 pm - More and more car doors are slamming followed by the sound of a seat belt clicking, providing music to the ears of state and federal officials who have been pushing for ...
Pennsylvania Turnpike workers now on strike
11/28/2004 - 4:43:21 pm - Toll takers and other workers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are now on strike. In response, the Turnpike Commission announced that it will waive all tolls until ...
Interstate Distributor Delivers Christmas Trees To The White House
11/29/2004 - 12:17:26 pm - From one Washington to another by: C.R. ROBERTS; The News Tribune Tacoma, Wa. It’s going to be a Burton Blue Christmas in the White House this year, as Washington ...
Tow truck driver honored for wrecking escape of suspected shooter
11/30/2004 - 9:54:36 am - A tow truck driver from Appleton, WI, is being recognized for his work helping police nab a man accused of shooting another man to death. The driver used his wrecker to stop ...
Diesel prices relatively unchanged; oil prices near $50 a barrel
11/30/2004 - 9:55:39 am - The national average price-per-gallon for diesel fuel on Monday, Nov. 29, is $2.116 – the same as last week, the Department of Energy reported. The average price of ...
Chicago trucker dies in Indiana accident
11/30/2004 - 9:56:27 am - A truck slammed into semitrailer that had broken down on Interstate 80 in Hammond, IN, on Nov. 22, fatally crushing Willie Taylor, 50, of Chicago. Taylor was pinned between ...
Pennsylvania to hike fuel tax
11/30/2004 - 9:58:08 am - Truckers traveling in Pennsylvania will have to fork over an additional 4 cents a gallon at the pump after a higher state fuel tax kicks in Jan. 1, with the windfall going for ...
Pike strike: they’re talking
11/30/2004 - 9:59:28 am - When it comes to wages, toll takers are telling officials at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to show them the money. On Monday, Nov. 29, a meeting was scheduled between ...
