We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Senate bill to be introduced next week to strengthen Surface Transportation Board's hand
newsworthy

Senate bill to be introduced next week to strengthen Surface Transportation Board's hand

September 8, 2014
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

A bill will be introduced next week in the Senate that its co-sponsors say is aimed at improving the operations of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the agency that oversees what is left of railroad regulation.

The bill, the "Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2014," will be introduced by Sens. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and John Thune, (R-S.D.), the committee's ranking member. It would increase the STB's investigative authority, so it can launch its own investigations before a complaint is filed. It would streamline the schedule for rate reviews to make it easier for Board members to communicate, the lawmakers said. It would also advance key STB cases such as those involving rail revenue adequacy and mandatory reciprocal switching, where a railroad would be required to switch traffic to a competitor if it meant more cost-effective services for the shipper.

"It is far past time that America had a competitive and efficient rail transportation network," Rockefeller said in a joint statement. "Industries, businesses, consumers, and rail passengers around the country rely on our freight rail system, and when the system or its economic regulatory framework breaks down, so does our economy."

"While the Surface Transportation Board has made good faith efforts to address concerns of freight shippers and railroads, the current inefficiencies in the STB's operations are symptomatic of the need for common-sense reform," said Thune. "The modest bill that Chairman Rockefeller and I are introducing addresses many of the key inefficiencies and time delays I hear about from shippers by reforming the case review process."

The legislation comes on the heels of months of complaints about rail service delays and shipment backlogs. The problems initially were blamed on bad winter weather that paralyzed large swaths of the U.S. rail network. However, the issues extended well into the spring and early summer months, raising concerns about the system's reliability.

Rockefeller, who will retire when his current term is up this year, has long fought the railroads in support of coal interests that dominate his state's economy. He has been a proponent of rail re-regulation as a means of easing the economic burden on coal shippers whose business is virtually monopolized by the railroads.

The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 ended most economic regulation of the railroads.

In a related development, the two senators will chair a committee hearing on Wednesday to examine the impact of service backlogs, network congestion, and shortages of locomotives and railcars.

Transportation Rail Regulation/Government
KEYWORDS Surface Transportation Board
  • Related Articles

    Senate confirms two commissioners to Surface Transportation Board

    Bill to reform nation's multi-employer pension program introduced in Senate

    Bill introduced in Senate to create national hiring standard for truckers

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

U.S. Xpress makes “significant investment” in self-driving tech vendor

Truckload carrier predicts challenging year ahead for industry

Train kept a rollin’

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 18 21 thumb

LTL Carriers Using Yield Management Techniques to Identify New Accessorial Charges

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
As we head into 2021, shippers are not too optimistic about negotiating rates with their carriers. The reason for this, as highlighted in the three CODE RED Webcasts we've hosted with our friends from CSCMP and NASSTRAC, is that in today's transportation marketplace, shippers are operating in uncharted waters. With...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing