The early days of the cross-border pilot program has one lawmaker concerned about the apparent “lax oversight” of the program and FMCSA’s commitment to a safe and transparent program. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-WV, sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood detailing what Rockefeller sees as missteps by the agency from the onset of the program.

The Federal Highway Administration has reinstated a grant that Ohio can use to study funding options, which include leasing the Ohio Turnpike to private investors. The turnabout comes after state officials agreed to amend their application for use of the funds.

Election season is already underway in Washington state. Ballots mailed to voters more than a week ago cover several issues, including transportation.

The national average price for on-highway diesel fuel increased nearly 7 cents per gallon during the past seven days. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the national average at $3.892 for the week ending Monday, Oct. 31, 2011.

A new law in Pennsylvania is intended to increase safety on roadways by applying tougher rules to the state’s most inexperienced drivers.

Tomorrow was the original date the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had hoped to unveil the new hours-of-service regulations – but that’s not going to happen. Anne Ferro, FMCSA administrator, was recently quoted in various media outlets hinting that the rule would not be ready by Oct. 28. Given the process of arriving at a final regulation, it’s not a surprise.

It’s only six miles so far, but Texas has added another interstate highway on its roster. Federal approval has allowed Texas to designate a portion of the existing U.S. Route 77 as Interstate 69 in Nueces County near Corpus Christi. Texas plans to add more I-69 designations in the future and eventually connect the southern border with other parts of I-69 in the Midwest.

A bill that seeks to kill a controversial plan that mandates all government contractors – including truckers hauling government-funded loads – have 3 percent withheld is one step closer to becoming law. OOIDA opposes the withholding and is part of the Government Withholding Relief Coalition lobbying against the effort.

An extension of the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax has been passed by Congress and signed by the President. It lasts through Sept. 30, 2012. Taxpayers will be required to file Form 2290 for the 2011 tax year for all qualified vehicles first used in July, August, September and October 2011. The form is expected to be available by Nov. 1 and will become delinquent after Nov. 30, 2011.

The latest report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group says red-light cameras and other types of automated enforcement are largely profit-driven instead of being about safety. “Privatized traffic law enforcement should be used solely as a tool for enhancing traffic safety not as a cash cow for municipalities or private firms,” report author Phineas Baxandall stated.

Truck owners from northwest Missouri may be eligible for money to replace or retrofit their commercial trucks. The Mid-America Regional Council has opened up applications for its Clean Diesel Grant Program. The grants are administered through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and will cover “early vehicle replacement” and emission-reduction technologies.

It took only a conversation to lure truck driver Efren Gonzalez-Perez into the world of Mexican drug cartels. Gonzalez-Perez was approached last winter outside a Mexican dentist office near the U.S.-Mexico border, where he said “everyone knows he is a truck driver.”

Tomorrow was the original date the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had hoped to unveil the new hours-of-service regulations – but that’s not going to happen. Anne Ferro, FMCSA administrator, was recently quoted in various media outlets hinting that the rule would not be ready by Oct. 28. Given the process of arriving at a final regulation, it’s not a surprise.

A bill that seeks to kill a controversial plan that mandates all government contractors – including truckers hauling government-funded loads – have 3 percent withheld is one step closer to becoming law. OOIDA opposes the withholding and is part of the Government Withholding Relief Coalition lobbying against the effort.

Hope Rivenburg is urging the trucking industry to once again come together and flood their lawmakers’ offices with phone calls and emails in support of two Jason’s Law bills that have been reintroduced in the U.S. House and Senate.

A plan to improve Michigan roads and create better jobs was unveiled Wednesday, Oct. 26, by Gov. Rick Snyder. The plan includes a first-of-its-kind initiative to eliminate the state’s fuel tax.

Local ballots in many Ohio counties include questions about various transportation issues. In northeastern Ohio questions address truck ordinances and road levies.

A trucker who crashed into a stream of stopped cars two years ago pleaded guilty in early October to lying to investigators. Valerijs Belovs pleaded guilty Oct. 3 in U.S. District Court to 15 counts of giving false statements, including falsifying his logbooks. Belovs had previously pleaded guilty to a count of vehicular manslaughter.

In Tennessee, a travel plaza owner was awarded the state’s first-ever truck stop electrification project grant for more than $400,000. The funds were made available through federal stimulus money by way of a grant from the EPA and TDOT. However, the TR Auto Truck Plaza, located off Interstate 40, in Dandridge, TN, is already closed despite being funded by grant money.

Wreaths Across America has a growing network of 672 participating locations and countless volunteers. The theme for 2011 is “The Christmas they never had.” An estimated impressive 400,000 wreaths will be placed at cemeteries during remembrance ceremonies across the country. The National Remembrance Ceremony will be held at Arlington on Dec. 10.

With the submission of his latest blog, Columnist Bill Hudgins adds apologies to songwriter Stan Jones and every country rock band that has ever covered the “Ghost Riders in the Sky” song, not to mention the good singers.

A controversial plan set to go in effect in January that mandates all government contractors – including truckers hauling government-funded loads – have 3 percent withheld is on the chopping block in the U.S. House of Representatives. OOIDA opposes the withholding and is part of the Government Withholding Relief Coalition lobbying against the effort.

Officials in Arizona are studying the possibility of converting the state’s 30-mile portion of Interstate 15 into a toll road. And it’s the out-of-state traffic and trucks they’re after. OOIDA is opposed to additional toll taxes on federally funded highways.

In Tennessee, a travel plaza owner was awarded the state’s first-ever truck stop electrification project grant for more than $400,000. The funds were made available through federal stimulus money by way of a grant from the EPA and TDOT. However, the TR Auto Truck Plaza, located off Interstate 40, in Dandridge, TN, is already closed despite being funded by grant money.

Nearly 20 Pennsylvania cities are one step closer to being able to enact ordinances to use red-light cameras.