The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for its treatment of a truck driver who self-reported a problem with alcohol.

The EEOC claims that ODFL violated the law when it removed the five-year employee from a permanent driving position. The suit, filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, seeks reinstatement to the driving position for the employee as well as monetary damages.

“The ADA mandates that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to achieve in the workplace. Old Dominion’s policy and practice of never returning an employee who self-reports an alcohol problem to a driving position violates that law,” said Katharine Kores, director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, whose jurisdiction includes Arkansas. “While the EEOC agrees that an employer’s concern regarding safety on our highways is a legitimate issue, an employer can both ensure safety and comply with the ADA.” more

The state of Rhode Island has formally asked the Federal Highway Administration for the right to toll Interstate 95 near the Connecticut border, according to the Providence Journal.

The idea is to use the money to help pay for repairs to I-95 in Providence, as well as expanding a connector road with I-95 and Route 4 that funnels traffic into the Quonset Business Park area in North Kingstown. The state estimates those two projects at $205 million. Additional revenue would be used to pay for general highway repair in the state.

The announcement of the formal application drew harsh criticism from local legislators, including Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Hopkinton), who said the Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation (RIDOT) was merely trying to pay for road work in other parts of the state on the backs of residents in his district. more

Say goodbye to underinflated tires robbing fuel economy. That day could be coming soon if a new technology that Goodyear is testing pays off.

Goodyear is developing a technology called Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) that not only monitors the inflation pressure inside a tire, but also inflates the tire when needed. All without the external pumps and electronics that are needed by today’s automatic tire inflation systems. more

What to do with $100? I’m sure most of us can come with a never-ending list of things to spend the money on – new clothes, video games, maybe even bills. But for 55 Truckload Carriers Assn. (TCA) members, the challenge is simple: pay it forward.

The idea, presented at the recent TCA Refrigerated Division annual meeting in Albuquerque, is not something new. In fact, a book and movie, starring Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, and Haley Joel Osment, were created based on the concept. But in trucking? more

Politicians lie, we all know that, and it doesn’t matter whether they are Republicans or Democrats. Not all politicians, of course. And I don’t think they do it intentionally in many cases. The problem is they speak too much. And as all of us know, the more you speak, the more likely you will be caught in a lie, however unintentional it may be.

Following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech back in January, the tone out of Washington was one of cooperation. Both Republicans and Democrats said they were willing to work together to help lift the country out of the Great Recession. more

In what some believe is becoming a more common problem as cities and states use ever-more powerful road deicing chemicals for snow and ice removal, concern grows over the impact those chemicals have on vehicles.

The latest example is the announcement Monday that Ford Motor Co.is recalling more than 1 million F-150 and F-250 trucks, and Lincoln Blackwater vehicles because the straps holding the fuel tanks in place can corrode and break off, increasing the risk of fire. The recall affects vehicles in 22 states. more