Transportation

The NGFA and a diverse range of agricultural producers and agribusinesses urged the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee to recommend the confirmation of Patrick Fuchs and Michelle Schulz to serve as new members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The groups noted in an April 10 letter that the STB needs a full and functioning set of members, as the agency “serves a vital role, given its charge to provide fair, objective and fact-based regulatory oversight of a freight rail industry that is exempt from U.S. antitrust law and now consists of only seven major Class I railroads – ... Read More

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has scheduled an April 11 confirmation hearing on two of President Trump’s nominees to serve five-year terms as members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the federal agency that oversees freight railroads. During the hearing, the Senate committee will consider the nominations of Republicans to fill two new slots at the agency – Patrick J. Fuchs, 30, who previously served as a professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the Senate Commerce committee; and Michelle A. Schulz, who ... Read More

…Inquiry initiated following NGFA letter to agency on degraded rail service… By Randy Gordon, President The Surface Transportation Board (STB) – the federal agency responsible for regulatory oversight of freight railroads – has asked each Class I rail carrier to provide an outlook for its rail service for the near-term and for the remainder of 2018. A March 16 letter jointly signed by STB Chairman Ann Begeman and Vice Chairman Deb Miller specifically cited the NGFA’s March 10 letter to the two STB officials registering concerns among agricultural rail customers over severe rail service ... Read More

In a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) expressed concerns over rail service issues and escalating accessorial charges imposed on agricultural shippers by several major Class I railroads. “The most numerous, persistent and egregious complaints reported to NGFA over the quality and responsiveness of rail service involve the Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railroads, and CSX,” the March 10 letter stated. “We appreciate the (STB’s) continued vigilance in holding rail carriers accountable for ... Read More

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced an additional 90-day extension of the agriculture exemption from the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate beginning on March 18. “We continue to see strong compliance rates across the country that improve weekly, but we are mindful of the unique work our agriculture community does and will use the following 90 days to ensure we publish more helpful guidance that all operators will benefit from,” said FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez in a March 13 press release. The ELD rule went into ... Read More

Pursuant to the NGFA Trade Rules, NGFA has declared that the Mid-Mississippi River is open for navigation as of 7:00 a.m. on Friday, March 9, 2018. NGFA Barge Freight Trading Rule 18(J) provides as follows:  "The Dubuque and South (Mid-Mississippi) opening commences the first 07:00 hours of the first business day after the first empty dry cargo covered barge suitable for loading, originating at or below Winfield, MO, reaches Dubuque, Iowa.  The Mid-Miss opening shall be determined by a majority vote of a three-person committee appointed by the NGFA Chairman and shall be announced ... Read More