(Source: etrucker.com)

The American Trucking Associations this week opposed a federal recommendation for a vehicle miles traveled tax, saying it presents privacy concerns.

ATA’s comments come in response to the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission’s report on highway funding challenges. The commission anticipates increasing problems with relying on fuel taxes to support infrastructure improvements because of increasing strides in fuel efficiency.

The commission’s solution – to migrate to a vehicle miles traveled tax – presents privacy concerns that not only are intrusive, but also could lead to new forms of fraud and identity theft, ATA argues. Also, the costs to implement and maintain the program would reduce the amount of funds available for infrastructure, ATA says.

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(Source: Business First)

The U.S. Department of Transportation budget, within the framework of the federal government’s Fiscal 2010 budget outlined Thursday by President Obama, calls for the federal government to provide $800 million for the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.

The system, which has been beta tested by Louisville-based UPS Airlines since 1996, is an effort to improve the nation’s air traffic control system by using a satellite based surveillance system rather than the current radar surveillance system.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in November approved the deployment of the system, also known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B.

UPS Airlines, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS), tested ADS-B on 107 Boeing B-757 and 767 aircraft, Business First reported in August 2006.

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(Source: Outsourced Logistics)

There are six discussions of ways to better manage transportation and delivery costs in “Creativity and Flexibility are Keys to Managing Rising Logistics Costs,” a white paper from Purolator USA. With particular focus on cross border freight traffic between the US and Canada, as well as shipments moving within the US, here are a few suggestions from Purolator to aid in controlling costs while not sacrificing service or standards.

Rethink Shipping Options. For example, reserve air transport only for those shipments that are extremely time sensitive and must be delivered by a specific date. Weigh the costs and time window since there are available ground shipment options that might get the job done.

Take Advantage of Governmental Trade Program Incentives. There are programs beyond NAFTA offered by both the US and Canadian governments to help shippers widen their customer bases. They include the Non-Resident Importer and Duty Drawback programs, among others. These and other governmental matters are discussed in the white paper.

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(Source: Times of India)

MARGAO: Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) in association with the road safety cell of the Ministry of surface transport organized training programmes and heath camps for heavy motor vehicle drivers at various places in South Goa recently.  The free refresher training course cum health camp for drivers which concluded on Saturday at the Kings School, Mugalli-Margao, was supported by the regional transportauthority of Goa. 

Yogesh Ambe, general manager (road safety) WIAA, Mumbai, informed TOI that the central ministry had allotted grants to take up such courses for drivers in Goa. “WIAA conducted free health camps and training course for drivers of BPCL, HPCL besides drivers at mines in Maina, Shigao, Sanvordem and heavy vehicle drivers at Vasco and Margao, with the support of Baba Naik of Tata Motors. Health camps for vision, blood grouping and general health checks besides issuing a free personal accident insurance policy of Rs 1 lakh each to all participants,” said Ambe. 

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(Source: AP via Forbes.com)

An older idea is experiencing a rebirth thanks to the truck traffic that increasingly chokes America’s highways: shift more of U.S. freight burden to boats that can traverse rivers, lakes, canals and coastal waters.

Increased concerns about fuel prices and global warming in recent years have revived interest in marine highways from the Erie Canal to the Chesapeake Bay to the coastal waters off Oregon, Massachusetts and Texas.

Proponents envision further expansion of the country’s 25,000 miles (40,230 kilometers) of navigational waterways by making greater use of the coasts and inland routes, such as the St. Lawrence Seaway (other-otc: STLS.PK – news –people ), the Great Lakes and the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

A significant expansion of the marine highway system faces several obstacles:

Many locks haven’t been updated in decades to accommodate increased freight traffic. Replacing America’s lock system would cost an estimated $125 billion.

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(Source: stltoday.com)








The decades-old battle between cars and rigs on Interstate 70 could come to an end if the Missouri Department of Transportation has its way.

After a yearlong study, the agency is recommending that $3.9 billion be spent to rebuild 200 miles of I-70 between Lake Saint Louis and Independence. Under the plan, two lanes each direction would be for semis, and two lanes each way would be for the rest of traffic.

I-70 has some of the heaviest truck traffic in the country, leaving drivers of smaller vehicles feeling intimidated. Separating cars and semis would improve safety for both, according to the study. 

"The No. 1 thing we heard from the public was the issue of trucks," said Kathy Harvey, state design engineer for the transportation department. "A lot of times they said, just put them on their own road."