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Senate Prioritizes Freight Policy Legislation

July 26, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Funding and policy updates in relation to federal freight programs are under discussion as U.S. Senate leaders deliberate a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill.

The consideration of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package has received strong backing from President Joe Biden as well as from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The deliberation of the package has also brought with it Schumer’s leadership team’s goal to begin the debate over a $3.5 trillion budget plan on the Senate floor. This plan would focus upon tax policy change and the climate crisis.

A major part of the Biden Administration’s efforts in modernization are boosting severe-weather resilience and improving overall connectivity along the nation’s freight corridors. This kind of infrastructure and social program modernization, along with the infrastructure bill and policy package themselves, are key components of Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan.

“We’re going to get something done,” said Biden in a White House meeting with local and state officials. “And that’s why I think that my ‘Build Back Better’ agenda is all about not just building back, but [building] back better than what we inherited. Mayors and governors, you know how to get this done and what we have to do. It’s time to stop talking about it and time to get you the resources.”

The bipartisan infrastructure package is likely to include legislation like the highly-prioritized, $78-billion measure that will upgrade trucking, freight, and rail safety programs across the country, senior congressional staffers and transportation policy experts claim. Freight network improvements are a main focus of Schumer and other Democratic Leaders throughout the House and the Senate.

Through reconciliation, a budget bill like this could advance with a simple majority vote, although an infrastructure policy bill would need high levels of bipartisan Senate support to override debate filibuster policies. Congress is also likely to halt August recess legislative action.

“If we pass this, this is the most profound change to help American families in generations,” said Schumer.

In general, democratic goals will comprise many of the Senate’s budget this year, added Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“The Senate budget will contain many of House Democrats’ top priorities, including transformative action on the investments needed to confront the climate crisis, to transform the care economy, and to expand access to health care,” she said..

Still, many Senate Republican leaders oppose these proposals due to their focus outside of what typically encapsulates the infrastructure system–such as health programs, social care, and methods of addressing the climate crisis.

“Our colleagues need to take this summer and think very carefully about what they’re discussing.” said Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell. “It would be hard to imagine a proposal less suited to the conditions our country is facing. Americans cannot afford another socialist borrowing, taxing, and spending spree that will kill jobs and raise costs for working families.”

Through the Commerce Committee’s highway policy bill, $4.6 billion would be offered to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to fund safety initiatives, law enforcement training, and human trafficking education programs for commercial vehicle companies and drivers. It would also set forth around $1.2 billion annually for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants program, and allow an additional $1.5 billion each year for the Department of Transportation’s infrastructure grant program. Another $2 billion would be dedicated to other nationally significant transportation projects.

Additionally, the bill would implement an apprenticeship program to help commercial driver license holders under the age of 21 to be able operate commercial motor vehicles within interstate commerce operations.

“This important bipartisan legislation makes a $78 billion down payment on rebuilding and revamping our nation’s critical infrastructure, a key to our economic future and creating jobs,” noted Maria Cantwell, Commerce Committee Chairwoman. “Together, this committee succeeded in passing legislation that makes [an] infrastructure investment that we need to be competitive in a global marketplace.”

Minneapolis Announces Truck Parking Ban in Midst of Truck Parking Crisis

July 25, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Alongside a proposed ban on truck parking throughout Minneapolis, the Minneapolis City Council’s Transportation and Public Works Committee has recently voted to begin fining violators of the new mandate.

The current ordinance throughout the city prohibits trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds from parking in residentially-zoned streets, although the weight cap does not apply to other areas. The Transportation and Public Works Committee deliberated this topic at the end of June, and revisited the topic for further consideration this month.

On July 14th, the committee approved a measure that would introduce fine gradations in relation to truck parking violations. These fines will begin at $100 per violation on January 1st of next year, rise to $150 on January 1st of 2023, and in 2024, would rise to $250 per violation.

This comes as an amendment to the previous proposal that called for fines reaching $250 by January 1st, 2023.

“This change gives a certain amount of grace to drivers while continuing to increase the fines,” explained Ward 6-representing Council Member Jamal Osman, who noted that many people in his community work as truck drivers.

These newly-proposed fines come as a response to both business and resident complaints which claimed that many trucks were obstructing fire hydrants, street signs, and car and bicycle travel lanes, as well as reducing the amount of guest parking availability and creating an abundance of noise and litter.

A measure was also approved that would urge the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development to collaborate with other groups in working toward implementing more spaces for truck parking throughout Minneapolis. The measure noted that these efforts should include railroad companies and commercial property owners, as well.

Another provision requesting that the Intergovernmental Relations staff of Minneapolis work alongside regional partners like the League of Minnesota Cities to find solutions regarding truck parking obstacles throughout the Twin Cities was approved, as was a provision directing city staff to report on the city’s overall truck parking capability development and the progress of enforcement and education efforts regarding these potential regional solutions. The report should be delivered to the council by the fourth quarter of 2022, the provision stated.

In regards to the newly-instated truck parking ban, all trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds would be prohibited from parking on any street within the city of Minneapolis unless they have stopped due to a police officer’s direction, they are actively loading or unloading, or they are situated in a zone with signage which allows for the parking of these heavy vehicles.

As can be expected, these proposed restrictions have been met with strong opposition from the trucking industry–the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Minnesota Trucking Association were both quick to bring to attention the Minneapolis-dwelling independent contractors who have to park their trucks somewhere overnight.

“The Minnesota Trucking Association is extremely disappointed,” said John Hausladen, President of the MTA. “The language adopted today puts the city in a purely reactive role, providing interested parties with only site search assistance. Language asking for greater regional solutions is all good, but it doesn’t change the fact [that] starting January 1st, 2022, trucks will be ticketed for parking on Minneapolis city streets with no new safe parking options.”

For these truckers, there must at least be options for them to park their big rigs at rest areas with restrooms and food options, added Todd Spencer, President of OOIDA.

“In other words, a lot of trucks probably park in Minneapolis because they simply lack any reasonable alternative,” he said.

This mandate comes at a time when truck parking capacity is a well-known issue for the entire trucking industry across the United States–a problem currently ranking third on the American Transportation Research Institute’s report on Top Industry Issues.

Northeast Corridor Improvement Plan Finally in the Works

July 24, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A 15-year rail improvement plan has been initiated by a coalition of transportation organizations, along with Amtrak, while Congress continues to work toward an infrastructure package agreement.

The plan would bring upgrades to the highly-congested Northeast Corridor in an effort to improve current daily train routes and travel speeds along Acela express lines. However, this plan is only likely to become successful if Congress is able to pass a significant infrastructure spending plan.

The plan, set forth by the Northeast Corridor Commission (a group implemented by Congress in 2008), could be a “mobilizing force” for overall transit updates, and the potential changes that could be made throughout the 450-mile-long rail corridor could boost travel trends and steer them away from fuel-emitting vehicles “as our economy returns to full strength.” It could also help to create around 1.7 million new jobs, according to Federal Railroad Administration deputy administrator and Northeast Corridor commission co-chair, Amit Bose.

President Biden’s original bipartisan infrastructure deal would have offered $80 billion for rail over eight years, with $39 billion allocated directly to the corridor. However, the current Senate bipartisan deal offers $66 billion for rail, although experts aren’t sure exactly how much of that could over the 15-year, $100 billion regional plan.

“The corridor supports more than 800,000 daily passenger trips between the greater Washington, D.C. and Boston regions,” explained commission co-chairman and New Jersey Transit president and CEO, Kevin Corbett. “It is imperative that together, we seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to replace aging assets, add rail capacity, [and] improve performance.”

An $11 billion initiative to upgrade and repair the century-old Hudson River tunnels feeding into New York City would be feasible under this plan, which would serve around 200,000 Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passengers who use these routes every weekday. The plan would also bring funding to long-awaited traffic improvement projects along the corridor, and safety-focused projects for this route would be fast-tracked as well–even being able to begin construction as soon as 2025.

The Trump administration had deemed this project as being too high in cost, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has already voiced his support for these improvements.

Other projects under the plan include expansions to rail stations in New York City; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia; Stamford, Connecticut; and Providence, Rhode Island; as well as the rail line within Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel would also receive funding for improvement projects, as it is currently a major chokepoint for Amtrak and MARC trains running near Baltimore Penn Station. As of now, trains have to slow to 30 miles per hour in the 1.4-mile, two-track tunnel, where the large amount of water in the soil under the tracks often cause floor slabs to sink. New replacement tunnels built through Amtrak and Maryland’s $4 billion plan would allow trains to move at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour through this area.

“The investments in infrastructure laid out in this plan will lead to more modern, reliable, and faster trains, expanded service, and a better customer experience–that will benefit customers, economies, and local communities along the entire Northeast Corridor and beyond,” noted Amtrak president, Stephen Gardner.

By 2035, this plan could boost daily Amtrak service by 33%, double commuter railroad capacity, add 60 million new rail trips each year, and reduce overall travel time from New York to Boston on Acela by 28 minutes and from Washington to New York by 26 minutes. Annual travel time savings within the Northeast Corridor through this plan would be valued at around $140 million.

“For the first time, we have a unified region behind a plan,” added the commission’s executive director, Mitch Warren. “It’s a big step forward for the corridor.”

He may be right–Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to acquire congressional money for the Hudson River Tunnel project, and the bipartisan deal will likely cover $20 billion for the Northeast Corridor project. The commission approves of Congress’ proposed spending and regards it as a good starting place, and adds that if all of its proposed projects are able to reach completion, the travel time saved and positive environmental impacts will be well worth the money.

Racial Equity and Environmental Justice Key Focus in Latest Grant Program

July 23, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Projects focusing on “racial equity, environmental justice, and access to opportunity” have been requested by a Federal Highway Administration grant program–a particular course of action that hasn’t been taken until now.

Specifically, the FHWA’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program is planning to allocate $60 million in funding for these kinds of projects, and, in its recent announcement, noted that it has strong backing for technologies working to lower fuel emissions, like electric-vehicle charging technology and infrastructure.

Now, projects working with these kinds of innovations will be highly considered for this grant funding.

“The department has added areas of interested to the [Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment] program application process to be more aligned with administration priorities that include building equity into the transportation system, increasing access to jobs, schools, and businesses, and tackling the climate crisis,” explained a spokesperson for the FHWA.

These new areas of focus come in alignment with President Joe Biden’s recent executive order that requested an overall review of the regulations set forth in regards to the environment during Donald Trump’s presidential term, as Biden now plans to move forward with the intention of placing heavier focus upon environmental justice, and especially upon lowering amounts of greenhouse fuel emissions within the country’s minority and low-income communities and regions.

Biden’s latest sweeping executive order will aim to make “environmental justice a part of the mission of every agency by directing federal agencies to develop programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionate health, environmental, economic, and climate impacts on disadvantaged communities.”

These efforts are only the beginning of actions being taken in regards to tackling the climate crisis, especially in regards to the transportation industry, noted American Trucking Associations’ environmental affairs council, Glen Kedzie.

“This is just another example of what federal agencies are planning on doing going forward to address environmental justice,” he said. “This is not the last.”

To follow in line with President Biden’s order in relation to boosting environmental justice and racial equity, Kedzie believes many federal agencies will be finding more innovative and creative ways to approach these efforts.

“Obviously, one of the key areas the agency will probably look at will be those frequented by trucking,” he explained. “They include the areas around ports [and] the areas around rail yards and warehouses. The housing stock around industrial-zoned areas is not the same as living in the suburbs.”

Originally, the innovative grants program through the FHWA–established under 2015’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act–aimed to boost public travel safety, improve transportation system performance, and lower overall traffic congestion. Since 2016, the grant program has offered more than $256 million to these kinds of projects across the United States.

Now, with President Biden’s mandate aiming to bring justice to the the low-income and minority communities that disproportionately endure living in areas with large sources of pollution, this kind of racial equity is a major priority for the program.

“The federal government has failed to meet that commitment in the past; it must advance environmental justice,” said the executive order.

In 2021, two of the seven areas with grant opportunities will prioritize technologies in the transportation industry that include “climate change and environmental justice impacts,” as well as certain investments that “proactively address racial equity and barriers to opportunity.”

Projects that are successful in proposing their intentions and plans to focus on these topics have a high chance of being awarded significant funding.

“Projects should directly support climate action plans or apply environmental justice screening tools in the planning stage,” said the program’s announcement statement. “Projects should reduce emissions, promote energy efficiency, incorporate electrification or zero emission vehicle infrastructure, increase resiliency, or recycle existing infrastructure.”

Those eligible to apply include transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, state departments of transportation, and local government groups. Partnerships within private sector groups are also encouraged, and the closing date for application is August 23rd, 2021.

Heat Waves Affect Trucking Companies Across U.S.

July 23, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Many states across the U.S. are enduring extreme heat waves following an already hotter-than-usual month of June. Still, these states are determined to keep trucking operations moving as usual.

“While we can’t control the weather, we can control what we do,” tweeted the governor of Montana recently. “Remember to use caution when working or recreating outdoors.”

In Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte has declared a state-of-emergency throughout the state for fire and drought conditions; this declaration also implements regulatory relief for truck drivers. Specifically, commercial vehicle drivers offering services to fire suppression efforts during dangerous fire conditions as well as those helping with the transportation of water, forage, and agriculture implements during drought conditions will be granted hours-of-service requirement flexibility under the executive order.

In Thompson Falls, Montana, on the west side of the state, mid-July temperatures have reached highs of around 95 degrees.

According to Gianforte’s office, around 91% of the state of Montana has been experiencing “abnormally dry to extreme” drought conditions since last month. During this same period in 2020, only about half of the state was undergoing these kinds of conditions.

“Every region of the state faces severe to extreme drought conditions, and the situation is getting worse,” said the governor.

In Las Vegas, temperatures have reached as high as 113 degrees, and Redding, California has seen highs of around 100 degrees this month. Temperatures in Idaho have been hitting around 101 degrees in mid-July and have stayed nearly as high lately, especially in areas around Boise.

Because these highs are nearly unprecedented in many areas, safety consideration information has been sent to members of the Idaho Trucking Association with precautions for truck drivers, telling them to stay as rested and hydrated as possible.

“Everybody’s been running their business as usual,” said Idaho Trucking Association President, Allen Hodges. “At the same time, people have been taking precautions because of the heat.”

Idaho is gearing up for potential 100-degree days or higher in August, Hodges said, and the Association–located west of Boise in Meridian, Idaho–has already seen temperatures of at least 98 degrees.

In Arizona, one of the hottest states in the country, temperatures have already followed an “early heating trend,” reaching up to 117 degrees in June–which isn’t even the hottest month of year, noted Tony Bradly, President of the Arizona Trucking Association. The Association is based in Tolleson, an area the National Weather Service predicts will reach temperatures of at least 111 degrees throughout the month of July.

“We’re fairly used to being on the surface of the sun,” said Bradley, who added that he made sure to remind drivers to keep their tire pressure in mind when operating in such extreme conditions.

“You want to make sure that your tire pressure is correct, because if your tire pressure is low, that could lead to blowouts,” he said.

Pre-trip inspections are key during times like these, and making sure anti-idle devices and coolant hoses are working properly is vitally important, explained California Trucking Association and Liberty Linehaul West Inc. president, Greg Dubuque.

Additionally, truckers should take note that the big windows on large trucks can allow in a lot of heat and sunlight–so skin protection should be a priority. He even goes as far as to tell drivers to position their trucks toward the west if they are parking in a rest area overnight.

“With more glass in the cab of the truck, there’s more sunlight coming in, bringing more heat,” during the sunrise, and in general, Dubuque noted.

When trucks are hauling goods that can be affected negatively by high temperatures–like crops or livestock–truckers should be sure to do their loading and unloading when temperatures are at their lowest during the morning and evening. Carriers must make sure the arrival of living goods is done as safely and healthily as possible, explained American Trucking Associations’ Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference executive director, Jon Samson.

Idaho, North Dakota, Nevada, and California, which are all enduring extreme heat right now, have not yet been issued any restrictions or guidance from their transportation agencies regarding their freight loads being shipped during this time.

Hazmat Transport Needs Boosts, PHMSA Says

July 21, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

In an effort to improve hazardous material transportation methods, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is looking for insight regarding innovative research and advancement techniques.

Because new standards on transportation for things like aerosols and explosives (in small quantities) as well as for non-bulk and bulk packaging are highly needed, the Administration is specifically requesting new ideas on the research of safer shipment methods. Additionally, the agency is calling for further research into dissolved gases in liquids and their hazards, along with the regulation of particular quantities and types of hazardous materials that comprise these kinds of shipments.

“PHMSA is soliciting research ideas from the public for hazardous materials transportation safety,” announced the agency in a recent tweet. “All submissions should relate to one of the five research topics…the best proposals may be awarded federal funding.”

PHMSA will award this funding through “Broad Agency Announcement,” grants that will range anywhere from $250,000 to $2 million for this research. “White papers” consisting of this new testing and data analysis must be sent to PHMSA by the end of the day on August 24th, according to the agency’s announcement.

PHMSA works to create regulatory standards for the handling, packaging, and even classifying of hazardous material shipments and their transportation throughout the country; these shipments make up more than 1 million of the United States’ daily total shipments. Now, the agency is cracking down on reducing the number of potential risks brought about by this kind of transportation by making a major effort in boosting their research and technical contracts.

PHMSA has been searching for innovative classification and research projects for many years, and has recently been looking into projects regarding bulk hazardous material liquid transportation spill incidents as well as biologically-derived fuel transportation classification and standards.

Now, the agency’s top five research subjects include deregulation, explosives, aerosols, gases, and bulk and non-bulk packaging.

For deregulation, the agency explained that current data depicts some non-bulk quantities of hazardous materials making up most transport-related incidents, although the transportation of these materials doesn’t often account for any transportation interruptions or injuries. Therefore, PHMSA infers that non-bulk hazardous materials in small quantities may be presently over-regulated, and will make an effort to ascertain whether or not there are any ways to relax hazardous material transportation regulations in regards to non-bulk quantities while maintaining overall safety standards.

For explosives, current Class 1 material transportation calls for classification approval by the Department of Transportation, and PHMSA believes there may be ways to test some explosive mixtures that could be classified outside of Class 1. Therefore, the industry could see flexibility in regulation and time constraints regarding these materials.

Because aerosols are comprised of a variety of substances such as foams, powders, liquids, gases, or pastes and are still dispensed as gases or liquids, the agency is calling for research into the potential risks that could come with certain kinds of aerosols and their flammability. Additionally, the agency would find it ideal if someone may be able to properly conduct testing and analysis of aerosol flammability in certain measurements, rather than just testing which aerosols are indeed flammable.

Gases, of course, pose many risks of their own, and there are currently no criteria for determining what amount of dissolved gas in liquid can specify the material as being a distinct gas. Additionally, there are a variety of hazards that come with certain combinations of gases and liquids, like when both substances are flammable, or one is flammable and one is non-flammable. Because of this, PHMSA is looking for someone to research these criteria and find what may need to be regulated in specific manners.

Finally, with bulk and non-bulk packaging, the agency believes there needs to be a highly-researched definition, classification, performance standard, service life standard, and testing criteria in regards to how non-bulk packages are regulated. To research this, PHMSA believes researchers should analyze standards for improving criteria in certain non-bulk packages, such as cylinders.