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Trucking fleet failures more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier as rising costs, regulatory burdens and inclement weather sank marginal fleets, a new report found.

Federal regulators should develop a separate standard for natural gas-powered vehicles when they finalize the second phase of the government’s emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, according to a new report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

Four U.S. senators leading the debate for a long-term transportation bill said that they have reached a bipartisan agreement on the broad principles for legislation they will begin working on after the Easter recess.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new proposal to require electronic logging devices will open the way for the truck telematics industry to expand rapidly, so long as it keeps moving forward without running into further roadblocks, an industry analyst said.

Federal transportation safety regulators are asking the public to comment this month as they consider whether to approve a Mexican motor carrier’s request to operate in the United States beyond the border region with Mexico.

The House by a narrow vote adopted a budget proposal April 10 that calls for offsetting transfers from the general federal fund to a major highway account with savings elsewhere in the budget.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to extend the registration deadline its members must meet to be certified by a medical professional.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) signed an anti-indemnification bill into law April 7, making the Bluegrass State the 41st state to protect truckers from having to assume all liability for accidents regardless of who is to blame.