Your May 8 Pre-trip: Transportation advocates fear ‘band-aid’ fix for ‘gaping wound’

May 8, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. At the end of this month, a federal transportation bill expires, and according to the Washington Post, “like so many times (32 to be exact) in the past six years, Congress is expected to pass a short-term extension – a band-aid over a gaping wound.”2. Transportation advocates are running radio ads in the districts of congressional leaders over the upcoming deadline for federal transportation funding, The Hill reported. The campaign, according to the report, urges lawmakers to pass a long-term extension of the bill rather than a “temporary patch.”3. The U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate has decreased to 5.4%, the New York Times reported this morning. 4. In the wake of a partial bridge closure in Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon is asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would increase the tax on motor fuels. According to Fox 4KC, the state’s DOT closed the northbound lanes of the 291 bridge in Sugar Creek after an inspection revealed accelerated rates of corrosion in the joints of the bridge. 5. Through art, students urge truck and bus drivers to “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” According to a report from Trucking News, elementary school students from around the country spent this past winter creating art to promote safety for bus and truck drivers throughout the country.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.