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A bill seeking to improve pipeline safety and reduce emissions concerning climate change was introduced to the House of Representatives on November 15, 2019.  The Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Environmentally Responsible (SAFER) Pipelines Act of 2019 was introduced by representative Peter DeFazio (Democrat, Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) and Frank Pallone (Democrat, Chairman of The House Energy and Commerce Committee). Current federal regulations are supposed to enforce safety in our environment and the public. DeFazio claims that the current legislation is, “woefully outdated”, he adds, “In 2018 alone there were 636 pipeline incidents that left eight people dead and injured another 90, including the horrific incident that occurred in Merrimack Valley Massachusetts.”  The National Safety Transportation Board recently declared the cause of the Merrimack explosion resulted from inadequate management and poor oversight from Columbia Gas of Massachusetts.

Yesterday, General Motors Company agreed to a sale of its Lordstown Ohio assembly plant to Lordstown Motors Corporation, an electric vehicle startup firm.  This is the first time the plant will be owned by another company other than GM since the facility opened in 1966.  There has been speculation about what would happen to the plant when the Union Auto Workers union went on strike in September. The UAW and GM agreed to close the plant in October of this year. 

Last week on October 5th- 8th the American Trucking Association (ATA) held its 86th annual Management Conference & Exhibition. Over 2,700 leaders in the trucking industry convened at the San Diego Convention Center to discuss key issues impacting their industry. Some of major topics of discussion along with the ATA’s plan of action are listed below.

Over time, the transportation industry has seen many new regulations passed for various reasons.  From electronic log books, lower emission trucks, and increasing the age to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) these laws were intended to improve the safety of the public as well as protect the environment.  The increased tighter regulations have forced companies into compliance resulting in a tougher trucking market. It does not seem that the flow of regulatory actions have ceased, and now there are multiple bills in congress that have drawn public attention.

Next week Pittsburgh Pennsylvania welcomes the National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC).  The competition is each year by the American Trucking Association (ATA) and is slated to take place 8/14-8/17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.  As stated by the ATA, this long standing competition “has a long history – dating back to 1937 when it was known as the National Truck Roadeo”.