A hearing held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on November 20 stressed that federal regulators need to take a more active role in overseeing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology – especially on public roads – while reiterating that until vehicles are fully capable of driving themselves, the […]

In mid-February next year, a group of leading labor unions and associations – including the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, International Union of Operating Engineers, Transportation Workers Union, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Public Transportation Association, Value of Water Campaign, and American Road and Transportation Builders Association – plan to co-host a Presidential Candidate Forum to give candidates an opportunity to share […]

A new report issued by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative (MITEI) details how individual travel decisions will be shaped by complex interactions between technologies, markets, business models, government policies, and consumer preferences —especially when it comes to the broader adoption of alternative fueled vehicles (AFVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). That report – entitled […]

Legislation proposed by three members of Congress on November 15 would provide $30 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a series of broadcast, digital, and print media public service announcement campaigns to promote job opportunities and improve diversity in the transportation workforce. [Above photo by the Oregon DOT.] Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., […]

A new study conducted for the Port of Los Angeles and unveiled at a November 12 press event in Washington D.C. indicates that tariffs resulting from the ongoing trade war between the United States and China threatens nearly 1.5 million U.S. jobs and more than $186 billion of economic activity nationwide. Those tariffs are increasing […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation officially announced it has awarded $900 million through its Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development or BUILD discretionary grants program to fund 55 transportation projects in 35 states on November 12. [Above photo by the USDOT.] In a statement, the agency said its fiscal year 2019 BUILD grants are targeted […]

A wide-ranging House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing regarding Amtrak included growing concerns about the state-level impacts of the national passenger rail operator’s ongoing service cutbacks as part of a larger effort to reduce costs. [Above photo via Amtrak.] “Mr. [Richard] Anderson [president and CEO of Amtrak], all we are seeing are cuts. […]

The Federal Railroad Administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking or NPRM on November 7 that would requiring 40 states and the District of Columbia to develop and implement highway-rail grade crossing action plans. That NPRM would also require 10 states previously required to develop highway-rail grade crossing action plans by the Rail Safety Improvement […]

UPS Flight Forward Inc. and CVS Pharmacy successfully completed two deliveries via drone of medical prescriptions from a CVS pharmacy directly to two separate home residences in North Carolina using the M2 drone system developed by Matternet. [Above photo by UPS.] UPSFF – a subsidiary of United Parcel Service formed in July – said in […]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab computer scientists are working with the California Department of Transportation to combine high performance computing and machine learning with the algorithms that control traffic management systems. As a result, those algorithms will be able to generate more accurate and timely traffic predictions and to aid real-time traffic control, such as rerouting […]