Trucking Regulation

FMCSA has increased the use of off-site audits, giving carriers the opportunity to respond to safety and compliance concerns digitally, but it increases the likelihood of an interaction with an FMCSA official.

A record Australian fine of A$125 million ($86.2 million) has been imposed on Volkswagen because of its false emissions statements.

The rules are expected to trigger a rush on new commercial delivery pilot projects.

Drivers looking for work or changing jobs should register before Jan. 6.

Move to pass legislation has ground to halt amid wider outcry from other industries over independent contractor limits.

Sales mandates are gaining popularity in the world’s two largest electric vehicle markets.

The National Association of the Deaf believes a federal requirement denying CDLs to individuals with hearing impairments should be rescinded.

Health, labor and environmental groups had urged the California Air Resources Board to pass “the most aggressive medium- and heavy-duty truck standard possible.”

Mobility group slams spectrum cut as “reckless decision.”

Assembly Bill 5 limits companies from classifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees to save operational expenses.

Delay to provide more time to develop proper IT platform.

The union drive marks the seventh company at the San Pedro ports to employ workers represented by the Teamsters.

Legislation demands OMB and HHS estimate rule publication date.

Lawmakers call out White House for trying to obstruct OIG probe.

E-commerce’s role in transforming supply chain logistics should be a factor that Congress considers during the next surface transportation bill authorization.

Safety analysis lacking in petition against ELDT rule, agency finds.

Manufacturers also call for the rapid roll-out of dedicated charging and refueling infrastructure to help reduce the share of trucks running on diesel.

Manufacturers warn clock’s running out on needed clarity for 2021 models.

Trevor Milton believes replacing diesel trucks with cleaner alternatives will improve the image of trucking and enable legislators to slash emissions.

The Treasury Department agency is closely monitoring vessel name changes used by Venezuelan and Cuban authorities to sidestep U.S. trade sanctions.

An Office of the U.S. Trade Representative investigation concludes that a French tax on digital services discriminates against U.S. companies, such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

Automatic onboard recording device users can expect no leniency after Dec. 16.

A U.S. man living in Singapore illegally presented technical information at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in April on how North Korea can use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.

Dow Jones Risk & Compliance has 24/7 monitoring and dedicated researchers to track and build detailed profiles of individuals and entities that are subject to economic sanctions.

President Trump cited currency manipulation as the reason to reimpose tariffs on imports from the two South American countries.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control places subsidiary to Cuban state-run oil shipper, Corporacion Panamericana, on blacklist for circumventing sanctions against Venezuela’s oil sector.

Advocacy group warns lack of ELDT rule directly compromises truck safety.

A proposed rule calls for the Commerce Department to determine whether certain technologies pose a threat to U.S. national security and prohibit those trade transactions.

Shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses and blank card stock were discovered and seized by Customs and Border Protection officers at Louisville and Memphis mail facilities.

China’s exports to the U.S. contracted last month. Even so, slowing U.S. exports to its trade rival saw China’s trade surplus with the U.S. widen.

For two years the software company’s sanctions screening failed to detect a Slovenian app store developer and its owner who were placed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

Conspiracy involved sale of offshore drill ship to Houston chartering company.

Mark Lambert, who served as co-president of nuclear materials transport specialist TLI, will be sentenced by the District Court of Maryland on March 9, 2020.

Darren Prokop writes about the need for a solution to repair and improve the nation’s highways and bridges. What are the options and is there the political will to develop a solution?

Environmental opposition and a glut of LNG are among the challenges facing a proposed Oregon natural gas pipeline and export terminal project.

Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania had most to lose if funding had been slashed.

While most license applications related to the Chinese telecom are expected to be denied, news reports surface that some U.S. companies have started receiving approvals from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Carl Bentzel will bring nearly 30 years of maritime legislative and policy background to the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission.

U.S. senator also wants Tesla autopilot feature improved or shut down.

U.S. export compliance advisers recommend exporters be realistic in their expectations with regard to the department’s license approval process for the blacklisted Chinese telecom.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America picks Whitmer & Worrall after longtime Capitol Hill representative Jon Kent announced his retirement in September.

Proposal could undercut “hundreds of millions” spent on connected-vehicle infrastructure

Democratic candidate Andrew Yang also proposes a $1,000-a-month “universal basic income” for workers displaced by automation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said optical lenses manufacturer Satisloh used false descriptions, tariff classifications and duty rates on its import entries for certain machinery and parts.

Labor advocates say the California law will redress exploitative working conditions at the San Pedro ports.

NTSB advises Uber and regulators overhaul AV testing policies.

Bill would require DOT to make assault and harassment incidents publicly available.

The department’s extension of the temporary general license gives U.S. companies another 90 days to continue their business activities with the Chinese telecom.

6-year program includes addressing shortage of truck drivers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the enhancements, to be rolled out over three phases through the rest of this year and 2020, pave the way to retiring legacy truck manifest application.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will use the industry’s comments to refine its Section 321 E-Commerce Data Pilot.

Vessel group alleges “lucrative cost advantage” over American-flagged ships.

The initiative is part of a broader push to limit diesel emissions from freight facilities.

U.S. poultry producers eye more than $1 billion market potential for China after being shut out for five years.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia discovered the counterfeit rings potentially valued at $562,000, if genuine, in an express shipment manifested as a “box” valued at $14.

Major trade partners of the EU have complained to the World Trade Organization about the problems with splitting tariff rate quotas between the U.K. and the EU post-Brexit.

Legislation would require FMCSA to step up efforts supporting women

The regulatory agency for rail receives a flurry of feedback on rail rate reasonableness and demurrage and accessorial charges.

13.5% of trucks inspected in U.S., Canada placed out of service.

Trump administration divvies up 55 BUILD grants among 35 states

A Miami-based customs broker specializing in perishable imports will benefit from access to agency officers for after-hours inspections through the Reimbursable Services Program.

Uncertainty clouds future of Chinese hydrogen subsidies and impact on the Canadian fuel cell manufacturer.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control assessed $210,600 civil penalty against Apollo Aviation Group for violating the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.

Canadian airlines, already facing a pilot shortage, now face higher labor costs associated with new pilot work rules.

Splitting up enforcement deadlines for the rule could cost millions in benefits.

Between February 2018 and September 2019, U.S. consumers and businesses spent an additional $38 billion on products due to tariffs on Chinese goods, Tariffs Hurt the Heartland said.

U.S. rail trade associations say changes will help employees responding to unplanned events.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found the drugs stuffed in duffel bags inside a container load of scrap aluminum and copper en route to Europe from South America.

The NCBFAA, which represents the customs brokerage industry, has become increasingly upset with the management at the Customs and Border Protection-contracted test sites and the way applicants are treated.

Uber plans to release safety report by end of the year.

The rule would require half of all new medium- and heavy duty truck sales sold in California by 2030 to be zero-emissions vehicles.

False submission of shipment information in the U.S. government’s Automated Export System helps sink scheme to smuggle military-style inflatable boats and engines to China, according to officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports keep watch for untreated wood packaging in cargo shipments to prevent the spread of wood-boring pests.

Funding bill leaves out protections sought by U.S. House.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said importers of tobacco from the southeast African country must demonstrate the goods are not in violation for clearance.

Shippers and NVOs urge the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to implement the interpretive rule, while ocean carriers and marine terminals say it needs further refining.

The U.S. Justice Department said Peter Sotis, former owner of Florida-based Add Helium, is accused of smuggling rebreather equipment without an export license to the war-torn country.

U.S. House green-lights measure to improve big-ship access.

The PACT Act closely mirrors the unsuccessful Graham-Van Hollen Turkey Sanctions Bill in the Senate.

U.S. freight forwarders have increasingly embraced canines as part of their technology-driven air cargo security programs.

GM, Toyota clash with rivals Ford, BMW that are siding with California.

Rule will help law enforcement identify legally transported crops.

Freight railroads need push to ensure Amtrak’s trains are on time, Durbin says.

Werner, UPS Freight among initial companies participating in pilot.

Francis Alvarez, who operated a forwarding service in Houston, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for violating the Sherman Act.

“This new humanitarian mechanism will help international companies that seek to engage in permissible humanitarian trade with Iran to ensure that they do not run afoul of sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Offshore energy operations could get competition from foreign ships.

Canadian national Alexis Vlachos, who was sentenced to prison last September, will not be able to export or receive anything from the U.S. for the next seven years, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security said.

Truck engine maker testifies on prospects for “net zero” pollution by 2050.

Prioritizing high-risk motor carriers for interventions an added challenge.

Battery Council International, which represents U.S. lead acid battery manufacturers, praised the removal of the potentially unsafe products from the supply chain.

The Trump administration said the Turkish government satisfied the five-day ceasefire commitment in northern Syria.

The Southern African country’s political leadership established the national holiday to protest longtime U.S. economic sanctions.

Extension of “Maritime Silk Road” threatens U.S. economic, military standing.

Review prompted by lax processing of driver convictions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control policy, which focuses on financial ownership of sanctioned individuals or entities, bedevils U.S. companies with sophisticated compliance programs.

The Wise Honest illegally transported coal on behalf of the North Korean regime from November 2016 to April 2018.

The Trump administration said it is taking this latest regulatory action to further restrict the Cuban government’s efforts to support Venezuela’s Maduro regime.

LNG export proposal immediately slammed by Democrat lawmakers.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 17 extended the general license for Nynas AB that is 50% owned by Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petrόleos de Venezuela S.A.