The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for comments on the implementation of “financial responsibility” requirements for freight forwarders (here). FMCSA first implemented the bonding and trust fund requirements in October 2013 under the direction of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The agency now says it is considering another rulemaking on the subject that may increase minimum financial responsibility requirements. Comments on FMCSA’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking are due Feb. 26.

The Federal Maritime Commission will meet on Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. to discuss recent port congestion forums and other issues, the agency said (here). There will be both an open and closed session, the agency said.

Federal infrastructure funding provides critical benefits to local communities and economies, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill need to act quickly to provide long-term solvency to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), said National Association of Counties President Riki Hokama in an Oct. 22 letter (here) to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio. President Barack Obama signed into law in August a bill that authorized federal spending for highway projects through May 31, 2015 (see 14081001). The Highway and Transportation Funding Act, HR-5021 (here), also gave the HTF nearly $11 billion to fill its coffers. Hokama did not specify how lawmakers should reform the fund’s revenue strategy, but emphasized that uncertainty surrounding the fund is preventing some highway projects from taking place. Some lawmakers have lashed out at raising corporate taxes to make the fund solvent (see 14050625). Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., pushed House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., in early October to find a way to fix Highway Trust Fund insolvency over the long-term, although she also did not offer a specific remedy. The cost of construction may also threaten highway projects by outpacing inflation, so a long-term trust fund solution is even more critical, said the Oct. 22 letter.

U.S.-NAFTA freight was up 4.4% year-on-year in August 2014, said the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on Oct. 23. Vessel traffic grew the most of any mode of transportation, driven by mineral fuel shipments to Canada, said BTS. Overall, U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $100.6 billion in August 2014, down from a high of $103.9 billion in May. U.S.-Canada freight flows were up 4.3% from August 2013, and U.S.-Mexico flows increased by 4.4% over the same period, it said.

The Federal Maritime Commission approved the proposed A. P. Moller-Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping vessel sharing agreement, also known as 2M, the agency said on Oct. 9. The 2M agreement would "authorize the parties to share vessels and engage in related cooperative operating activities in the trades between the U.S. and Asia, North Europe, and the Mediterranean." The FMC "decision is based on a determination that the agreement is not likely at this time, by a reduction in competition, to produce an unreasonable increase in transportation cost or an unreasonable reduction in transportation service," it said. Commissioner Richard Lidinsky dissented.

The Federal Maritime Commission is seeking comment on its heavily revised proposed rulemaking on Ocean Transport Intermediaries (here). While the original proposal (see 13053031) was a source of concern for the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (see 13041004), the updated version strips out a number of the controversial pieces of the rule (see 14092217). Comments are due Dec. 12.

The Federal Maritime Commission will post Ocean Transportation Intermediaries licensing information only online and not in the Federal Register as of Oct. 20, the agency said. A recently amended rule allows for the change, said the FMC. Through Oct. 17, the agency will be posting the OTI information on the new site (here) and in the Federal Register, it said. The site will include information on license applications, revocations, suspensions, surrenders, reissuances, and rescissions of revocations, the FMC said.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is extending until Nov. 10 the period for comments on its proposed “reverse logistics” rule. The Aug. 11 proposed rule would change requirements for goods that are shipped by truck back to the vendor, distributor, manufacturer, or other entity for the purpose of returning, recalling product, or replacement (see 14080814). For shipments of hazardous materials covered by the proposed regulations, PHMSA would relax segregation requirements to allow the mixing of various hazard classes as long as the packages are not leaking, and would create a separate set of packaging standards.

The Federal Maritime Commission plans to hold a public forum focused on congestion at the South Atlantic ports, the agency said. FMC Commissioner Michael Khouri will lead the forum and report to the full Commission on the discussion, the agency said. The event is scheduled for Oct. 30 in Charleston at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

The Federal Maritime Commission posted the agenda for its Oct. 1 public forum focused on port congestion. The forum will include panel discussions on carriers, trucking and labor, among other issues, the agenda said.