Well, we have a highway bill proposal. The House of Representative’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is set to mark up a bill, said to be $260 billion over five years, today. But, like anything in Washington, the bill has little chance of passing. And once again, it will be because our lawmakers know not how to get American cruising down the highway, but rather only how to put up roadblocks.

In addition to differences that must be smoothed over with what the Senate will likely put forth, chief among those being that the current Senate proposal would provide $109 billion over two years, the House version will likely include a controversial oil pipeline project – the Canada to Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline - already rejected by President Barack Obama earlier this year. more

Emerald Technology Partners is preparing to test a new refrigeration system that it says will eliminate the use of fossil fuels and still maintain a cool operating environment for refrigerated loads.

The Wedway Refrigeration Power System does this through kinetic energy. For all of us who remember learning about kinetic energy in school but never thought there would be a need to use it again, kinetic energy is the energy that is stored in an object while it is motion. That energy remains constant until the velocity of the object is changed. more

Estes Express Lines has gotten involved with two organizations – Give2TheTroops and Wreaths Across America – as part of its Encourage the Living, Honor the Fallen initiative to support the U.S. military and the men and women who protect this country and way of life.

Give2TheTroops is designed to encourage the delivery of care packages to active duty troops. Through the program, more than 13,000 Estes employees and their families will be able to donate items for the care packages through Dec. 2. Children will make cards and color pictures as well. more

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed into law a reporting and education process designed to improve the safety of truck routing within the state.

The bill, House Bill 1377, requires the state as well as municipalities to report truck restrictions, preferred truck routes, and other pertinent information to the Illinois Dept. of Transportation. In turn, that information will be posted on IDOT’s website.

The bill is the result of a special task force that was charged with investigating GPS technology and compliance with the Designated Truck Route System. more

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

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

With the announcement today that cars and light trucks will be expected to achieve an average Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of 54.5 mpg by 2025, the impact will be felt in many ways.

Yes, it will lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Yes, it will help clean up the environment, especially as more automakers build hybrid and electric vehicles in response. Yes, drivers will ultimately use less fuel, which means fewer dollars spent at the pump for consumers. But that comes at a price - a price that needs to be addressed.

If less fuel is purchased, that means fewer dollars in gas taxes will be collected. The impact, of course, is that with fewer taxes collected, there will be fewer dollars available for infrastructure maintenance and improvements. That is a little publicized problem that needs to be addressed as mpg improves. Currently, CAFE requires all vehicles sold to average 27.3 mpg; that will rise to 34.1 by 2017, and then increase 5% per year through 2025. With all the fuel sold and taxes collected now at the 27.3 standard, we still can’t find a way to adequately fund our infrastructure projects. If we could, we’d already have a multi-year highway reauthorization bill. more

I’ve driven the long road up Mt. Washington in Pinkham Notch, NH. It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. The twists and turns along the road on the way to the top of the 6,288-ft. summit leave you perilously close to the edge at times.

Traversing this 7.6-mi. route over a road that alternates between serpentine tarmac and gravel is impressive enough. Doing it in just 8:02 is unbelievable. But that’s exactly what stunt driver Mike Ryan accomplished recently. more