27 Dec Report: US Miscalculated Benefit of Better Train Brakes BILLINGS, Mont. — President Donald Trump’s administration miscalculated the potential benefits of putting better brakes on trains that haul explosive fuels when it scrapped an Obama-era rule over cost concerns, The Associated Press has found. A government analysis used to justify the cancellation omitted up to $117 million in estimated future damages from train derailments that could be avoided by using electronic brakes. Read more...
27 Dec Average Price of Diesel Drops 4.4¢ to $3.077 a Gallon The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped 4.4 cents to $3.077 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported, as crude oil prices lingered below $50 per barrel. Read more...
27 Dec Driverless Cars Deliver From Kroger-Owned Store in Arizona The nation’s largest grocery chain stepped into the driverless delivery market Dec. 18, bringing milk, eggs and other items to a customer’s home in a vehicle with nobody at the wheel. Read more...
27 Dec Jobless Claims Fall to 216,000, Showing Tight Labor Market U.S. filings for unemployment benefits decreased for the third time in four weeks, hovering near an almost five-decade low that reflects a robust job market. Read more...
27 Dec US Shale’s Blows Leave Middle East Oil Sellers Staggering The U.S. oil industry is delivering a one-two punch to Middle East producers already reeling from a collapse in prices. A tussle is playing out in the market for so-called light oils, which have a lower sulfur content and are less dense than heavier varieties. Read more...
27 Dec Volume Growth Continues at Nation's Ports as US, China Resume Trade Talks The nation’s ports continued to see steady growth in November cargo volume, as shippers moved goods to the United States from overseas in advance of the holiday shopping season and rushed to get cargo stateside ahead of expected tariffs on shipments from China. Read more...
27 Dec Zoox Wins First Permit to Ferry California Public in Robot Rides Driverless car startup Zoox Inc. became the first company to win approval to transport members of the public in its driverless test vehicles in California, according to a statement from the California Public Utilities Commission. Read more...
27 Dec Drug Use Increases for Workers in Transportation, Warehousing Sector Drug use by workers in five sectors of the U.S. economy — including the transportation/warehousing sector — showed significant increases from 2015 to 2017, according to a new analysis of more than 10 million urine drug test results nationally by drug testing firm Quest Diagnostics. Read more...
27 Dec Freight Transportation, Infrastructure Issues Headline TRB Annual Meeting Academics, stakeholders, policymakers and agency officials from every level of government are expected to meet in downtown Washington in January for one of the largest gatherings of the country’s transportation community. Read more...
25 Dec Sectors Surge in Second Half A deeper dive into trucking data showed a big year for the industry across three specific sectors, particularly after July. The numbers also portend glad tidings for 2019. Read more...