FMCSA Administrator: Please Prepare Now for ELD Deadline

Ray Martinez, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, asked attendees at Omnitracs’s user conference to “please prepare” for the December transition from AOBRDs to ELDs “now, if you have not done so.” Speaking at the conference’s opening session, Martinez noted that 2019 is a critical year for ELD implementation and that putting it off does not help either the industry or the regulators .

Washington update 2019: What will a new and divided Congress mean for rail?

Passing a permanent extension of the 45G short-line tax credit. Maintaining existing truck size and weight restrictions. Introducing a comprehensive infrastructure package that includes funding priority for freight and passenger rail. Shoring up the federal Highway Trust Fund. Continuing existing “balanced” regulations for freight railroads.

What the government shutdown means for rail

The effects of the partial shutdown of the federal government on the rail community appear not to be significant, at least for now. The action comes as President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress remain locked in a budget dispute over funding for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.