Tank-car safety woes date decades before crude

WASHINGTON — Long before crude oil and ethanol were transported by railroads in large quantities in minimally reinforced tank cars, other flammable and poisonous materials were riding around the country in the same cars, threatening major cities and waterways. Federal r [...]

Flight 3407 families call out regional airlines

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Less than three weeks from the five year anniversary of the tragic and preventable crash of Continental (now United Airlines) Flight 3407 operated by regional carrier Colgan Air, the “Families of Continental Flight 3407” railed at recent complaints by aviation [...]

2013 Union Density Changes Little from 2012

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual data finding that in 2013, the union membership rate—the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions—was 11.3 percent, the same as in 2012. The number of wage and salary workers belonging [...]

NTSB wants higher standards on trains hauling crude

The National Transportation Safety Board Jan. 23 issued a series of recommendations (see Safety Recommendation Letters R-14-001-003 and R-14-004-006) to the Department of Transportation to address the safety risk of transporting crude oil by rail. In an unprecedented move, th [...]

Stem: FMCSA Denies Bus Company’s CDL Exemption

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has denied an application by motorcoach tours company Miami Nice Tours to operate bus tours in the United States by drivers who would be exempt from the commercial driver’s license (CDL) provisions of part 383 of the Federal Mot [...]

Rep. Rahall Says Unions Good For Business

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall told West Virginia union leaders on Tuesday that people who believe cheaper, non-union labor is good for American business are “short-sighted.” “Union labor also helps increase corporate America’s bottom lin [...]

Rep. Rahall says unions good for business

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall told West Virginia union leaders on Tuesday that people who believe cheaper, non-union labor is good for American business are “short-sighted.” “Union labor also helps increase corporate America’s bottom lin [...]

Natural gas locomotives may prove cheaper, cleaner

OMAHA, Neb. – The diesel-burning locomotive, the workhorse of American railroads since World War II, will soon begin burning natural gas – a potentially historic shift that could cut fuel costs, reduce pollution and strengthen the advantage railroads hold over trucks in [...]