1925 | In Chicago, IL, the ICC begins a series of hearings on the complaint that motor transport is materially injuring the business of rail carriers. Representatives of rail and highway carriers, as well as shippers, testify. Chief Thomas MacDonald and J. G. McKay, Chief of BPR's Highway Economics Division, testify at length on the proposal to regulate motor carriers as the railroads are regulated. MacDonald states that motor trucks carry about 2 percent of the total volume of freight handled by the railroads. He adds that any change from rail to highway transportation was principally because the public wanted that kind of service. |
1986 | President Ronald Reagan signs the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act, giving FHWA new tools to enhance commercial vehicle safety, including a requirement that bus and truck drivers have a single commercial driver's license based on uniform standards for testing drivers; creation of a central clearinghouse for complete driving records (See April 1, 1992); and mandatory penalties for serious traffic violations and felony convictions. |