triple_trailerThree U.S. senators said they will fight a proposal in Congress that would allow an increase in the length of twin-trailer trucks allowed on U.S. roadways.

At a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), announced their opposition to a federal mandate that would allow trucks to pull double 33-foot trailers — up from the current limit of 28 feet — on the nation’s highways.

Read more from Progressive Railroading.

NEW YORK – Two U.S. senators on Sunday called for expanded national railroad safety inspections, a day before a special federal safety team arrives in New York for a 60-day probe into operations on the Metro-North Railroad commuter train after the deaths of four passengers.

In light of the deadly Dec. 1 derailment, Sen. Charles Schumer said safety inspections are “woefully underfunded” and that the Federal Railroad Administration “simply doesn’t have enough resources to fully inspect our rail lines, to sufficiently prepare implementation of safety measures or even do safety spot checks around the country.”

Read more at SFGate.