U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has proposed elimination of a burdensome daily paperwork requirement for professional truck drivers that will reduce costs to the industry by an estimated $1.7 billion annually while still maintaining Department safety standards.
Read MoreDay: September 26, 2013
FMCSA to codifyshort-haul exemption for 30-minute break in HOS rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will not apply the provision under its revised hours of service (HOS) rule requiring drivers to take a 30-minute break for every eight hours of consecutive driving on short-haul routes, and will initiate a rulemaking to include text that effect in the rule.
Read MoreLabor chief assesses drop in workplace fatality rate
Preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics/National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries results show a reduction in the number of 2012 fatal work injuries compared with 2011. Last year, 4,383 workers died from work-related injuries, down from 4,693 the prior year. The rate of fatal workplace injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers was 3.2 in 2012 versus 3.5 in 2011.
Read MoreFeds fund project to integrate carbon metrics in building material databases
Researchers at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, have been awarded a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant to develop measurement and assessment tools to be integrated with building material databases and architectural design software to provide real-time, “on-the-fly” carbon footprint metrics.
Read MoreSenate Confirmations Lift Clouds From National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board reported last month that it has a full complement of five Senate-confirmed members—for the first time in 10 years. Four new members, all nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed in July by the U.S. Senate, were sworn into office; the upper chamber also confirmed NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce for an additional five-year term, ending August 2018. The agency released these Member profiles:
Read MoreGood Faith Bargaining Averts Detroit-Grade Contract Terms
The Big Dig remains a gift that keeps on taking from Bay State taxpayers and Boston area motorists using Massachusetts Turnpike Authority routes. A project whose initial cost was pegged in the early 1980s at $2.5 billion could carry an ultimate price north of $20 billion, by Boston Globe calculations.
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