- Port Strike Potentially Disruptive Of US Commerce Seems Inevitable
- Judge Allows Challenges To Congestion Pricing Pause To Proceed
- Kapsch Satellite-Based Toll System Wins International Road Federation Award
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Port Strike Potentially Disruptive Of US Commerce Seems Inevitable
CNN reports, it’s likely the threatened strike of port facilities along the US East and Gulf Coasts will begin in less than 12 hours. “There are few signs” the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), the association of port facility employers, will confer over a wage disagreement before the strike deadline, let alone resolve it. Federal officials have been unsuccessful in moving the parties toward some resolution. President Biden has said he will not use his power to prevent employee walkouts.
The strike is a matter of serious concern to logistics system stakeholders. CNN notes, “More than 200 business groups sent a letter to the White House last week asking the Biden administration to step in to prevent a strike, saying the country relies on moving both imports and exports through these ports. ‘The last thing the supply chain, companies and employees . . need is a strike or other disruptions because of an ongoing labor negotiation,’ read the letter.”
CNBC reports on shippers’ and transporters’ eleventh-hour efforts to move billions of dollars in freight before a strike stops the flow of goods off ships and docks.
WBUR airs a “Here & Now” segment during which state trucking association executive Kendra Hems discusses her industry’s response to the looming strike.
Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce IssuesJudge Allows Challenges To Congestion Pricing Pause To Proceed
Gothamist reports, on Friday, New York State trial judge Arthur Engoron denied Governor Kathy Hochul’s motion to dismiss the civil lawsuits challenging her decision to postpone implementation of the MTA congestion pricing program. “His ruling allows the cases to proceed, though the slow pace of litigation may conflict with Albany’s legislative calendar. Hochul has pledged to have a new plan for congestion pricing around January, when the state Legislature goes back into session.” The article notes that the judge persistently questioned the governor’s legal counsel about Hochul’s authority to pause the tolling program, which lawyers said would have yielded $152 million in revenue by now if it had been permitted to take effect in June.
The New York Times also covers this story.
Kapsch Satellite-Based Toll System Wins International Road Federation Award
Kapsch TrafficCom announced today that the International Road Federation (IRF) conferred the Road Finance Excellence Award on Kapsch’s Bulgarian Nationwide Tolling and E-Vignette System. “Launched in 2019 in partnership with Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), this project transitioned the country’s tolling system from time-based vignettes to a distance-based model for heavy goods vehicles . . . using cutting-edge satellite tolling technology. The system covers over 16,000 kilometers [nearly 9,950 miles] of roads, managing electronic tolls for trucks and e-vignettes for passenger vehicles. By 2020, GNSS tolling for all HGVs was introduced, generating a 10% revenue increase from e-vignettes and additional gains from enhanced enforcement measures.” (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
Implementation of the system involved Kapsch coordination of seven specialized working groups that included RIA and consultant personnel, as well as the training of more than 500 authority staff. Kapsch provides ongoing system technical support and maintenance.
Carolin Treichl, executive vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa at Kapsch TrafficCom, commented that the RIA project “highlights the capabilities of our GNSS technology in creating flexible, scalable, and future-proof systems for road finance across Europe and beyond.”
These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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