Here are five things worth knowing today:
- Among the hundreds of amendments proposed for the $325 billion highway bill being debated in the U.S. House this week was a bill that would block programs designed to allow teens as young as 18 to drive commercial trucks in interstate commerce. Supporters, though, have been left disappointed as the chamber rejected that amendment yesterday, paving the way for the efforts to lower the minimum age. The Hill has the story.
- Not everyone is excited about fixing the roads, it seems. In Utah, 17 counties were voting on sales tax hikes to fund transportation improvements in the state, but voters were not as enthused, rejecting several with a few more still too close to call at this point, reports the Deseret News.
- Falling oil prices have resulted in falling diesel prices, and that is hampering efforts to increase the use of natural gas trucks. According to an article in the American Journal of Transportation, projections that 4-5% of the U.S. truck market would be running on natural gas no later than 2017 have changed, and Power Systems Research thinks it will be 2020 before that market share is reached.
- There was plenty of power this week in Las Vegas as the 2015 SEMA Show has been ongoing. Gizmag has put together a collection of some of the more interesting sights from the show.
- Many know Kid Rock for his hard-hitting music, but the rock star is involved in something else – designing a Chevy Silverado. The rocker’s design for a 2016 Silverado 3500HD is on display this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Autoblog has photos and a video of the vehicle.
