Editorial: Trucking at TRB’s Forefront

Hours of highly detailed discussion at this month’s Transportation Research Board annual meeting focused on some of the most daunting long-range challenges facing the transportation industry. But one issue near and dear to the hearts of Transport Topics readers — hauling cargo — was at the forefront, be it along electrified highway corridors or across the last mile.

GM Drops the Steering Wheel and Gives Robot Driver Control

Next year, General Motors Co. will no longer need an engineer in the front seat babysitting the robot brain that controls its self-driving Chevrolet Bolt. The steering wheel and pedals will be gone, giving total control to the machine.

House Highways Leader Sam Graves Optimistic About Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Passage

WASHINGTON — Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, among the leading candidates to succeed outgoing Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster next year, said he is optimistic about the chances of advancing a massive infrastructure plan this year.

Coming Jan. 17: LiveOnWeb's 2018 Government Outlook

2018 is shaping up to be a potentially transformative year on the government front for freight transportation. Our Jan. 17 LiveOnWeb program, “2018 Government Outlook,” will dissect the prospects for infrastructure reform and regulatory issues that will impact trucking businesses. Watch a preview.

Electric Trucks Show Rapid Development

WASHINGTON — Electric-vehicle technology for the medium- and heavy-duty sector is developing rapidly, but the price and range of these vehicles must improve for widespread deployment to take hold, industry experts said.

Port of Portland Must Diversify at Troubled Container Terminal, Study Shows

A comeback is unlikely at the Port of Portland’s container terminal unless other lines of marine shipping business are found to subsidize it, a Port consultant found.

Truck Firms Open Autonomous Door at CES

OOIDA President Jim Johnston Dies at Age 78

Jim Johnston, the co-founder and longtime president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, has died after a year-long battle with lung cancer. He was 78.

Trade Experts Expect to See a ‘Zombie’ NAFTA

WASHINGTON — The most likely scenario of what will happen if negotiations to reset terms for the North American Free Trade Agreement are successful — or not — is that President Donald Trump announces, probably via Twitter, a U.S. withdrawal from the deal. This would leave what experts call a zombie NAFTA.

Michigan Trucking Companies Struggle to Find Drivers

In a day and age where nearly every product customers purchase is transported by a semi-truck, trucking companies are struggling to find qualified drivers to fill open positions.