Commerce Express Weekly Road Map:
January 30th, 2024
Keeping you informed on the latest news/insights in our industry.
Trucking —
- As of January 29th, the national average price of diesel is $3.867.
- Seeing a 2.9 cent increase, compared to the week prior.
- FMCSA rulemaking on truck speed limiters is delayed again, set to be published in May.
- In Q3 of 2023, parts and labor costs rose 1.9% – per a report by ATA Technology & Maintenance Council and Decisiv Inc.
- On a year-over-year basis, part costs were up 0.9% and labor costs increased by4.9%, with a combined increase of 2.5%.
Rail —
- Charleston ports continue to invest in rail to help with growth in the Southeast.
- BNSF announces nearly $4 billion in their 2024 capital investment plan.
- Some of the maintenance projects include: replacing and upgrading rail; track infrastructure; and maintaining its rolling stock, per Railway Age.
Cross-border —
Canada –
- Transport Canada is proposing a change to the Transportation of Dangerous goods regulation (TDGR).
- Still under review but could create cost increases for companies and how they handle DG imports, new equipment investments or training employees for regulation compliance.
- Some amendments in the proposal include: enhancing buffer car requirements, strengthening emergency response assistance plan requirements, aligning regulations with other federal rules on transportation of DGs, and more.
Governors From Several States Ask Biden to “Roll Back” Electric Vehicle Mandates
Sixteen governors, in a letter to President Biden, have asked the government EV mandates to ease and to allow the American consumers to “maintain choice in the types of vehicles they choose to drive.”
The current federal regulations would mandate that two out of every three vehicles will need to be battery electric vehicles by 2032.
Additionally in that letter, the governors say they are not opposed to electric vehicles, but “they do have concerns with federal government mandates that penalize retailers and do not reflect the will of the consumer.”
Other challenging issues they raised in the letter include having the proper infrastructure to support battery EVs, as well as sufficient supply chain capabilities for domestic EV battery production.
More Federal Funds for Truck Parking Projects Have Been Announced
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week $292 million in federal funds to go towards truck parking projects.
Some of those projects include:
- $180 million for the Florida DOT to build 900 trucking parking spaces along I-4 in Central Florida.
- $8 million for Wisconsin DOT to reconstruct a Safety Rest Area along I-90.
- $12 million for Washington State DOT to deploy a regional truck parking information management system at 54 truck parking facilities throughout the I-5 corridor in WA, OR, and CA to connect truck drivers with available parking.
- $92 million for the Missouri DOT to improve I-70.
- A little over $40 million for a project at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania.
These funds come from under the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (or INFRA) program – as Trucker News states, funding has been increased more than 50% by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Commerce Blog
This Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The accident prompted lawmakers in the Senate to draft new legislation—the Railway Safety Act—in bid to prevent future disasters like this, while also enforcing tighter standards on railroad safety. This includes requiring railroads to enlist two-person crews, absorb increased fines on violations, and provide advanced notice to emergency response teams when hauling hazmat cargoes.
The legislation was introduced in March, just a month after the derailment, but, nearly a year later, the bill has yet to pass the Senate.
The FRA Submits Final Rule on Train Crew Size, Set for Review
The Federal Railroad Administration has submitted their final rule on train crew size, to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review.
This rule, according to the US OMB website, would address the safety impact of one-person train operations, as well as, the issue of minimum requirements for the size of train crews – depending on the type of operations.
The final rule could come out as early as March.
Total Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending January 20th, 2024
- Total weekly rail traffic for the week ending January 20th, was 397,553 carloads and intermodal units – down 13.2 percent compared to the same time last year, per AAR data.
- U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 224,182 containers and trailers, down 4.5 percent from the previous year.
- Zero of the ten carload commodity groups posted an increase when compared to the same time last year. However, coal, non-metallic minerals, and grain all saw decreases.
- Total rail volume in North America for the first three weeks of this year was 1,778,528 carloads and intermodal units.
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