Arkansas Trucking Association

In early June, President Barack Obama announced an initiative to reduce the nation’s climate-warming emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Each state was asked to develop its own plan for reaching its goal — a cut of nearly 45 percent for Arkansas, which gets about half of its electricity from coal-fired power plants and the rest from a mix of natural gas, nuclear and hydroelectric.

The Senate bill that would have suspended two of the 34-hour restart provisions included in the 2013-implemented federal hours-of-service rule was pulled from the Senate floor June 19 after disagreements over procedural rules prevented the bill from moving forward for debate.

Consumer spending in the U.S. grew in May as Americans used gains in income to shore up household finances.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was elected House GOP leader following the unexpected loss of Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) seat, said he wouldn’t support increasing the federal tax as a legislative solution for shoring up a federal highway account that funds highway programs at the state level.

Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) proposed a raise and index of the fuel tax in order to preserve the user pays principle and keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent.

Top officials from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and ACT 1 industry suppliers kicked off “Trucking Moves America Forward,” a nationwide trucking image campaign, at a press conference before the start of the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

Signed into law in 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is pushing fleets that haul food products to take a hands-on approach with their food service clients to ensure a smooth implementation.

Walmart unveiled a new concept truck, the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience (WAVE), featuring lead- ing edge aerodynamics, an advanced turbine-powered range extending series hybrid powertrain, electrified auxiliary omponents and sophisticated control systems at the Mid-America Trucking Show.

The for-hire trucking industry added 3,300 jobs in March, according to the monthly employment report released by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. economy as a whole added 192,000 non-farm jobs in March. National unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7 percent.

Average state personal income in the U.S. grew 2.6 percent in 2013, a decline from the 4.2 percent of 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Class 8 orders in March were solid again, rounding out a quarter that points toward a growth cycle for truck sales, according to data released by firms FTR and ACT Research.

A University of Arkansas project to save money on energy costs has saved 24 percent more than expected between 2012 and 2013.

Razors EDGE (Efficiently Delivering Green Energy) saved the university $3.7 million in energy costs in two years. The $30 million project was designed and installed by Energy Systems Group to reduce energy use of the 73 buildings on the Fayetteville campus.