News Digest
FMCSA to Hold Public Listening Session on Highly Automated Commercial Vehicles: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced it will hold a public listening session to solicit information on issues relating to the design, development, testing, and deployment of highly automated commercial vehicles. Interested parties will have an opportunity to share their views and any data or analysis on this topic with Agency representatives. The listening session will take place on Monday, April 24, 2017, from 9:30 a.m. to noon ET at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in the Regency Ballroom (265 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303). Participation in the listening session is free. FMCSA will post specific information on how to participate via the Internet on the FMCSA website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov in advance of the session. Click here to read the Federal Register notice, learn more information about the public listening session, and submit comments.
BTS’ National Transportation Statistics Updated - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today updated National Transportation Statistics (NTS) – a web-only reference guide to national-level transportation data. NTS, updated quarterly, includes a wide range of national transportation information. NTS consists of more than 260 tables of national data of which 36 were updated today. This quarter’s updates are Transportation System (System Mileage Within the United States, U.S. Oil and Gas Pipeline Mileage, Condition of U.S. Bridges, U.S. Vehicle-Miles and U.S. Passenger-Miles); Safety (Transportation Fatalities by Mode, Injured Persons by Transportation Mode, Motor Vehicle Safety Data, Passenger Car Occupant Safety Data, Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in Highway Crashes); Economy (U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Attributed to For-Hire Transportation Services, Price Trends of Gasoline v. Other Consumer Goods and Services and Average Passenger Revenue per Passenger-Mile); and Energy and the Environment (Gasoline Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Sales, Energy Intensity of Passenger Cars, Other 2-Axle 4-Tire Vehicles, and Motorcycles, Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars and Light Trucks and Estimated National Emissions of six pollutants). The next quarterly update is scheduled for July 2017. NTS contents are available on the BTS website. Contact: Dave Smallen (202) 366-5568, david.smallen@dot.gov.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy Sear Year Update: The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) has announced that Liberty Maritime Corporation and Matson Navigation Company have met the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) criteria to train USMMA Midshipmen on their vessels. Those eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to, zero tolerance for sexual harassment and/or sexual assault, vetted mentors, regular crew training, and no fraternization between crew and Midshipmen. Liberty Maritime Corporation is a New York-based commercial shipping company which operates six U.S. flag vessels while Matson Navigation Company is headquartered in Honolulu and operates primarily in the Pacific Ocean. Other companies approved to train Midshipmen at sea include American President Line (APL), Crowley Maritime Corporation, Maersk Line Limited, and TOTE Services. The addition of Liberty and Matson brings the United States Merchant Marine Academy to 75 percent of its normal commercial Sea Year training capacity. MARAD is currently reviewing applications from other companies that have applied to meet the Sea Year requirements and if those other companies are approved, this would bring the normal commercial Sea Year training capacity to 84 percent. A full list of requirements is available on MARAD’s website at https://www.marad.dot.gov/criteria/ Contact: Kim Strong – Tel: 202-366-5807
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