°®¶¹´«Ã½

WASHINGTON — To the Environmental Protection Agency, the trucking industry and clean air advocates, semi-trucks outfitted with glider kits represent a new front in the debate over government regulation. And this week happens to be a key week for deciding how and whether trucks like these can continue to be made and sold.

Like the trucking industry, the port authorities and Class I railroads believe the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will benefit their modes of transportation, according to associations that represent them.

From large carriers to single-truck fleets, many in the industry are analyzing how the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will impact their income and are formulating strategies to adapt to the new rules — including the possibility of restructuring their companies, accountants said.

Bipartisan legislation designed to exclude from the trucking industry those involved in human trafficking was advanced to the White House Dec. 21.

A group of eight Midwestern states is working to inform truckers of parking availability along major routes.

Greg Crawford, an insulin-dependent commercial motor vehicle driver from Oak Park, Mich., says he had to wait months for a medical expert’s verification that his condition was stable before federal regulators cleared him to get back behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Jan. 2 in the Federal Register that Canadian-made vehicles that do not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards but adhere to comparable Canadian standards are eligible for importation into the United States.

Component supplier Eaton Corp. reported it expects a one-time tax expense of between $90 million and $110 million as a result of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Jan. 2 that he will not seek re-election.

Trucking firms are revved up for 2018, with predictions of tight capacity and strong demand for freight hauling setting the stage for an anticipated big year ahead for the industry, and indicators pointing to a potentially sustained period of business expansion in the United States and around the globe.