October 31, 2014: Truckers impose port congestion fees; NHTSA needs a new boss; digging into the “Zombie Car” issue.

Here is a look at what is happening in the world of transportation this morning:

A sport utility vehicle slams into a freight train at an Illinois railroad crossing, reports The Washington Times, leaving three dead.

Time magazine notes that Starbucks is planning to develop a delivery service; what kinds of vehicles might it use?

Truckers are imposing congestion surcharges at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in California, reports The Journal of Commerce, and shippers are apparently paying them.

The Obama Administration is speeding up its search for a new boss for NHTSA, according to AutoBlog, so the agency can better tackle a range of recall issues. NHTSA has been without a chief administrator for 320 days.

Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne admits poor vehicle quality is a problem for his company, notes the Detroit Free Press, but aims to fix it.

A trash truck operator in Tennessee is killed in a collision with a train, reports News 3.

Forbes dives into the details of the “Zombie Car” phenomenon; brands of vehicles no longer made yet still on the road.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Teamsters just cancelled a planned election for unionization at one of FedEx Freight’s Pennsylvania terminals.

Fierce Homeland Security reports on two recently declassified TSA threat assessments regarding mass transit and freight rail networks now being made public.