Descartes sees February as cycle low point

Supply chain software-as-a-service provider Descartes said Wednesday that February was likely the low point for the cycle, noting demand trended up somewhat in March and April. The company has seen ocean imports increase sequentially since February to a level that is in line with pre-pandemic levels as retailers have made progress selling through excess inventories….

A look back on the 1st transcontinental railroad

FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Old Dominion Freight Line — Helping the World Keep Promises. Learn more here. The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 was enacted by President Abraham Lincoln to garner federal support for construction of the transcontinental railroad. While B&O Railroad was the first commercial transportation by rail in 1827, connecting Chicago to the…

California State Assembly votes to ban driverless trucks

The California State Assembly voted Wednesday to ban driverless trucks from the state’s roadways, requiring a safety driver be present. If passed by the Senate, it would leave the state where most autonomous trucking companies are based as an outlier in adopting the technology. The 54-3 vote banning autonomous vehicles over 10,000 pounds from operating…

California Dems lobby DOT for $700M electric truck charging project

WASHINGTON — California Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to award $700 million to set up a zero-emission multistate freight corridor for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Federal money for the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project is being sought through a joint application filed by California, Oregon and Washington…

FRA proposes rules for certifying train dispatchers, signal employees

The Federal Railroad Administration is proposing rules to formalize the certification process for two groups of craft employees working on U.S. freight railroads. Each proposed rule — one for train dispatchers and the other for signal employees — calls for railroads to develop programs to certify these individuals. The programs would verify that workers have…