Insights - November 2014 - (Page 2)

Contents Federal Update ..................................................2 State Legislative Update....................................5 Freight Reports .................................................6 2012-2014 Yearly Traffic Totals ..........................7 Sustainability News ..........................................8 Port News .........................................................9 In Brief ............................................................14 People in the News .........................................16 Welcome New Members .................................20 Intermodal Calendar .......................................21 Cover image © Schneider Intermodal Insights is published monthly by the Intermodal Association of North America for the benefit of its members. Intermodal Insights is a registered trademark of the Intermodal Association of North America. All rights reserved. Paul Scott Abbott, Editor Send press releases and letters to the editor to insights@intermodal.org. Must be received by the 10th of the month to be considered for inclusion in the next issue. Maggie Miller, Advertising Sales 301-982-3400, ext. 350 advertising@intermodal.org Joanne F. Casey, President & CEO Federal Update Congress Averts Federal Shutdown Averting a federal government shutdown, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution on the eve of its midterm elections recess. H.J. Res. 124, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution 2015, was introduced Sept. 9 and passed the House on Sept. 17, then the Senate on Sept. 18, before being signed into law Sept. 19 by President Barack Obama. The measure, which drew bipartisan support in both chambers, keeps the federal government funded through Dec. 11 and also approves an extension through June 30, 2015, of the ExportImport Bank. Go to www.govtrack.us/congress/ bills/113/hjres124 for details. Congress is scheduled to reconvene Nov. 12 for a lame-duck session. Senate May Mull HOS Suspension A one-year suspension of the new commercial vehicle driver hours-of-service restart rule is likely to be considered by Congress during its lame-duck session, according to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security. "You're putting people on the road at the most dangerous time." - Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., concerning the new hours-of-service restart rule INTERMODAL ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA 11785 Beltsville Drive, Suite 1100 Calverton, MD 20705-4048 301-982-3400 * Fax: 301-982-4815 www.intermodal.org Speaking Oct. 5 at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, Sen. Blunt said that, after Congress reconvenes Nov. 12, he expects the Senate to look at calling for the suspension of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's HOS requirement of two consecutive off periods between 1 and 5 a.m. during a 34-hour restart, as well as demanding a new FMCSA study. "You're putting people on the road at the most dangerous time," Sen. Blunt said of the new restart rule, which took effect in June 2013. An appropriations bill amendment calling for such a suspension was offered by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and gained Senate Appropriations Committee approval on June 5 but has been stalled since. T.F. Scott Darling III, FMCSA's acting administrator since Aug. 25, nonetheless has said that he stands by the new restart provision. Freight Bill Poses Waybill Fee Freshman Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) introduced a bill calling for a robust freight program funded via a 1 percent waybill fee on the cost of transporting goods. Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act, H.R. 5624, was introduced Sept. 18 and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and multiple subcommittees of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The measure seeks establishment of a multimodal freight funding formula program and a national freight infrastructure competitive grant program to offer as much as $8 billion a year toward improving efficiency and reliability of U.S. freight movement. Visit www.govtrack.us/congress/ bills/113/hr5624 to track H.R. 5624, which is one of the latest of several freight infrastructure measures under congressional consideration. Bill Seeks Revamp of CSA Program The battle for changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Compliance Safety Accountability program has now moved to Congress. The Safer Trucks and Buses Act, H.R. 5532, "halts the publication of flawed safety scores for carriers and directs the [FMCSA] to revamp its scoring system," Federal Update - continued on page 19 2 Intermodal Insights | November 2014 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hjres124 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr5624 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr5624 http://www.intermodal.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - November 2014

Contents

Insights - November 2014