Fayetteville Firm Develops Traffic Warning System

Fayetteville, Arkansas-based VisuaLogistic Technologies entered into a partnership with the state, to introduce its Automated Detection Alert System, or ADAS, to Arkansas highways.

The system entails a series of wireless, solar-powered roadside sensors placed roughly a quarter-mile apart that are updated in real time to inform drivers of what’s ahead-congested traffic, emergency vehicles, even hazardous conditions. Each sensor will flash different colors based on the conditions ahead-for example, yellow for stalled traffic.

Griffin's Political Sabbatical Cut Short

Four months after declaring he would not seek a third term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) said he will run for Arkansas Lt. Governor, joining a crowded field of Republican candidates.

”Last year, I announced my decision not to seek re-election to Congress when my term ends. The decision to leave Congress and return home was an agonizing decision but the right one for my young family. Since that announcement, I have been urged to continue public service... After much prayer, thought and discussion with my wife and family, I have decided to seek the office of Lieutenant Governor,” said Griffin.

New tax rules that start January 1 will change the way trucking companies and other U.S. businesses account for real estate and business equipment and could create room for more same-year deductions rather than multiyear depreciation, according to several tax experts.

The number of freight brokers disappearing from the federal rolls has been increasing by the hundreds every day since December 1, following the new requirement to carry a $75,000 bond, boosted from $10,000 by the MAP-21 highway funding act passed last year.

The nation's interstate system is nearing its 50-year design life meaning in the next couple of decades it's all going to need to be replaced. This will, of course, come with a very hefty price tag. A new study released by the Reason Foundation suggests allowing states to put tolls on interstate highways could provide enough to fund massive upgrades to the nation's roads and bridges.

California legislators have given the green light to allowing driverless cars on California roadways.The bill signed by Governor Jerry Brown allows autonomous vehicles to operate on state roads, but leaves the details to be worked out by the DMV. The process is just getting started, but signs of tension have already emerged between state regulators and carmakers who want wide latitude to test their inventions on California roads.

Two Arkansans took top honors at the National Truck Driving Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. Corporal Derek Canard of the Arkansas Highway Police District 2, was named North American Grand Champion after a stellar performance at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Championship during the NTDC. This competition is the only international event dedicated to recognizing and rewarding commercial vehicle inspector excellence.

Country music recording artist Lindsey Lawler is the new face and voice of the Truckload Carriers Association’s Highway Angel program. Lawler will go on tour to promote a better trucking industry image performing at TravelCenters of America locations throughout the Southeast and Midwest. “For the longest time, the trucking and country music industries went hand-in-hand,” said Lawler.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has upheld most of the new Hours of Service regulations with the exception of eliminating the need for a 30 minute break for short-haul drivers. A short-haul is defined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as one which is driven by a vehicle that does not require a CDL or one that is within a 150-mile radius of where the driver reports to and releases from.

The U.S. Department of Transportation no longer requires trucking companies to keep all of its equipment inspection reports – only those that reveal a defect. The government estimates this will save the trucking industry about $1.7 billion per year, ranking it as one of the Administration’s biggest cost cutting savings to small business.

The required insurance minimum for motor carriers has been the same since 1980. According to Representative Matt Cartwright (D-Penn.) the current requirement of $750,000 is not enough to protect crash victims and fails to perform the basic functions that Congress intended: to promote safe operations by holding insurers responsible for inspecting trucking operations prior to underwriting policies and to protect the public.