Here are five things worth knowing today:
1. Don’t drive in Texas if your truck isn’t in top-notch condition
Roadcheck 2016 is over and some numbers have started to roll in. For instance, during the blitz in Texas, the Dept. of Public Safety inspected 7,795 commercial motor vehicles and removed 1,751 (22.5%) from service due to safety violations. An additional 224 drivers were placed out of service, according to KeyeTV.
2. DOT sees driverless trucks as the future, but not driverless trains
Even as signs point to the Dept. of Transportation being receptive to the potential of driverless trucks – even allowing testing of autonomous vehicles on roadways – the agency is pushing back against driverless trains, and that has some irked. Bloomberg has more on why DOT may be adding a second person to freight train crews.
3. Freight is down, but driver recruitment is up
As the trucking industry starts to adjust to freight levels that are dropping, that hasn’t slowed down the recruitment process for new drivers. Omaha.com has the story of how fleets in America’s Heartland continue their push to find new drivers.
4.Americans say raise fuel taxes to fund transportation projects
A majority of Americans surveyed by the Mineta Transportation Institute say they are in favor of raising gas taxes – as long as those taxes go to improving maintenance, safety or the environment, says a story in Metro. The annual survey found that depending on how the question was presented played a role the level of support, but some questions received super majority support. Metro has more.
5.Virginia governor hot to add highway lanes
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe remains confident that hundreds of millions of dollars is forthcoming from the federal government, helping the state add 10 mi. to its 95 Hot Lanes south of Fredericksburg and another 8 miles north of Alexandria. The money would be used to fix bridges, add buses and parking spaces and improve rail service, according to WJLA.com.
