Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations
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News Archive

All current news items are listed. Narrow your search for news items by selecting a specific category or state. You also can sort news items by date by selecting the arrow next to Date.

The following news items were compiled by the FHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of freight news.

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Category: Highway

Work Zone Fatalities at Highest Level Since 2006, New Data Shows - 5/05/2021
New data shows that 842 people died in highway work zone crashes in 2019, an 11.8 percent increase from 2018 and the highest year-over-year percentage...

Cities Focus on Urban Curbs and How to Manage Them - 4/30/2021
The demands of delivery services, ridesharing and micromobility have cities re-examining how they manage their assets.

Final-mile Challenges, Transport Costs Cloud Supply Chain Optimism - 4/30/2021
A March 2021 survey of 200 U.S.-based supply chain managers finds that rising logistics costs and challenges with the final mile may contribute to rising...

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Availability of $1 Billion to Modernize and Create New American Infrastructure - 4/30/2021
The Secretary of Transportation announced a notice of funding opportunity for $1 billion via the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, formerly...

What Will Redistribution of Imports Mean for Surface Transportation? - 4/30/2021
With import volumes climbing and some of the Nation's largest ports experiencing unprecedented congestion, U.S. importers are beginning to spread incoming ships to other U.S....

How Climate Change Is Driving Supply Chain Strategy - 4/08/2021
Four supply chain experts share thoughts on how to create value through sustainability, and the role climate change plays in the development of supply chain...

March Class 8 Orders of 40,000 Add to Dizzying Industry Backlog - 4/08/2021
Demand for new Class 8 trucks continued at an elevated rate in March even though many of the 40,000 bookings have little chance of being...

Trucking Job Numbers: Stronger but Tempered - 4/08/2021
In the midst of one of the strongest freight markets in years, there are still fewer workers employed in the truck transportation sector than a...

Commercial Shipping: Information on How Intermodal Chassis Are Made Available and the Federal Government's Oversight Role - 3/26/2021
Containerized shipping depends on the availability of chassis, which are standardized trailers that carry shipping containers behind trucks, either for drayage or long-haul transportation; some...

DOT study predicts no mass layoffs from driverless trucks - 3/26/2021
A report released in January by the United States Department of Transportation’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology concluded that truck drivers...

Trucking Industry Making Strides Toward Electrification - 3/26/2021
This article provides an overview of private carriers' progress on and planning for electrification of their fleets

What's Behind the Boom in Agricultural Commodities (Podcast) - 3/26/2021
Agricultural commodity prices are trending higher, partially driven by Chinese demand; China is a major market for agricultural commodities produced in the United States.

Chip shortage pushing capacity-starved fleets to used equipment - 3/09/2021
The current shortage in microchips, which are integral to the operation of modern trucks, is forcing fleet owners to search for late model used trucks...

Fact Sheet: Securing America's Critical Supply Chains - 3/09/2021
President Biden signed an executive order aiming to help create more resilient and secure supply chains for critical and essential goods, through a review by...

Why the World Has a Shortage of Semiconductors (Podcast) - 3/09/2021
The world is facing a shortage in semiconductors, which have a wide range of applications, including in freight vehicles.

2020 Commodity Flow Survey Workshop Summary - 3/03/2021
This workshop summary describes the platform attendees discussed to improve future iterations of the Commodity Flow Survey, which provides key data for State and Federal...

2021 Farm Exports to China Will Approach Record - 3/03/2021
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects that the value of United States farm exports to China will reach $31.5 billion in Fiscal Year...

Analysis of Variability in Heavy Truck Braking Systems - 3/03/2021
This report summarizes analyses conducted to measure variability in stopping distance tests conducted on commercial tractor trailers. Knowledge of this variability may provide a basis...

E-commerce warehouse productivity could improve up to 20% with greater automation: Prologis - 3/03/2021
According to ProLogis, automation of e-commerce warehouses could increase their productivity by 10 to 20 percent on a revenue per square foot basis over the...

NFI driver reflects on 30-year career, 6 million safe miles - 3/03/2021
This article profiles Roger Daily, a 30-year veteran truck driver who recently reached six million safe miles delivering freight across the United States.

Drug/Alcohol Clearinghouse fines set at $5,833 per violation - 1/26/2021
Per a recent final rule, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) can fine employers, employees, medical review officers, or service agents that violate the...

FMCSA names 25 truck drivers to new safety panel - 1/26/2021
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) added 25 truck drivers to a new safety panel that will advise the administration's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory...

'Freight Alley' wants in on Georgia's truck-only lane project - 1/19/2021
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Thrive Regional Partnership is lobbying the State of Georgia to include a 41-mile section of Interstate 75 in its plans to construct...

FMCSA Proposes to Add Truck Rear Underride Guards to Safety Checklist - 1/19/2021
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a proposed rule that would add rear impact guards as a required item on annual inspections, as...

Maryland DOT Partners on Trucking Analytics Project - 1/19/2021
The Maryland Department of Transportation, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University Transportation Institute and INRIX partnered to collect data on how truckers use a rest stop...

America's scariest bridges for truckers - 1/07/2021
Lane geometry and weather are the most common factors that contribute to potentially dangerous bridge crossings for truck drivers.

Busiest U.S. seaport, buried in imports, plucks out toys to load Santa's sleigh - 1/07/2021
Due to a recent surge in imports at the Port of Los Angeles, the Port is working with toy shippers to expedite their shipments, to...

CDL Data Quality Assessment - 1/07/2021
This research from the Kentucky Transportation Center Research Center outlines issues related to commercial driver license (CDL), and best practices to resolve these issues.

Tech-enabled used truck trade-ins could boost road safety - 1/07/2021
Beginning with the 2018 model year, truck makers introduced advanced driver assistance systems; now, up to 100,000 2018 trucks will be available as those original...

The Importance of Highways to U.S. Agriculture - 1/07/2021
The United States Department of Agriculture released a report on the importance of highways to American agriculture; through spatial analysis, the report identifies projects that...

Hours-of-service rules still flummox fleets - 12/09/2020
The American Transportation Research Institute recently released its Top 10 List of Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry. From the perspectives of drivers and carriers,...

Imports flood Southern California warehouses, Port of LA plans incentive for dual transactions - 12/09/2020
Due to a recent surge in imports, congestion at the Port of Los Angeles and surrounding warehouses increased, so port staff are proposing a financial...

State DOTs Organizing For The Testing/Deployment Of Autonomous Vehicles - 12/09/2020
State department of transportation staff involved in automated vehicle deployment recently met to discuss how their agencies are preparing for testing and deployment of autonomous...

Truck platooning at risk following Wi-Fi 'supersizing' by FCC - 12/09/2020
The Federal Communications Commission approved reallocation of 45 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum bandwidth currently used for vehicle-to-everything applications to Wi-Fi, though 30 MHz will be...

America's most dangerous roads for truckers: Part 2 - 12/08/2020
Certain routes are unsafe, even for drivers who follow safety best practices, mostly due to adverse weather conditions, and difficult geometry.

Assembling the Autonomous Truck - 12/08/2020
While truck manufacturers and technology developers are continuing to progress towards autonomous trucks, deployment will require significant integration between software, vehicles, and infrastructure.

CCJ Daily Dispatch, Nov. 25: Carriers' per-mile costs fell in 2019, ATRI finds - 12/08/2020
Carriers' costs, including fuel, vehicle repairs and maintenance, and driver compensation decreased nine percent, compared to 2018.

FHWA Proposal Would Allow States More Flexibility With Design Standards - 12/08/2020
The Federal Highway Administration released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which would give update design standards and specifications for resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation of highways...

The Rising Threat of Ransomware: How Trucking Can Fend Off Cyberattacks - 12/08/2020
As trucks become more connected, adequate defenses against cyberattacks will be crucial to maintaining trucking companies' operations.

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