Congress approves a seven-month extension or federal highway programs

Trucking safety is a growing concern among companies, lawmakers and the general public. As such, Congress recently announced that it has passed legislation to extend federal highway and transit programs for another seven months, The Trucker reports.

Lawmakers told the new source that the seven-month extension will save and create jobs in the trucking and construction industries, which could help the economy. Furthermore, it will provide money for trucking safety programs.

"Nothing is more critical to our members than highway safety," Bill Graves, American Trucking Associations president, told the news source. "This legislation will ensure that [federal] funding for important safety and enforcement programs, not to mention needed highway improvements."


Safety directors whose fleets travel across the U.S. may want to consider enrolling their employees in online truck driver safety training courses. These classes are designed to help keep drivers up to date with industry standards.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 3 million driver inspections occurred in the U.S. in 2010. Furthermore, more than 2 million vehicles took part in a roadside inspection.

By Mark Priest

Congress approves a seven-month extension or federal highway programs

Monday, March 7th, 2011