Congress adjourned last month without extending the Single State Registration System, which was repealed as of Jan. 1 as Congress mandated in 2005. According to the American Trucking Associations, new fees under the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) system likely will begin around the middle of the year. As of now, however, states cannot assess SSRS fees or require credentials in trucks, ATA says.

President Bush issued an executive order (EO) last month that establishes a government-wide policy by the White House to improve security within the surface transportation sector. The EO requires the development of a Transportation Sector Specific Plan (TSSP) that aligns with the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). It also requires that specific security “annexes” be developed by each surface mode to define what security measures are in place, and what potential security initiatives should be reviewed for consideration and/or implementation.

Johnnie Bryan Hunt Sr., founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, died Dec. 7 from head injuries suffered from a fall at his home in Goshen, Ark. He was 79. Hunt launched the trucking company in 1969 with five trucks and seven refrigerated trailers as a sideline to his rice hull business. The company, which ranks No. 8 in the CCJ Top 250, now operates about 11,000 trucks and employs more than 16,000. Hunt retired as chairman in 1995 but served as senior chairman until 2004. The Hunt family remains the company’s largest shareholder.

Ultra-low-sulfur diesel represents about 85 percent of on-highway diesel now sold in the United States, an Environmental Protection Agency survey of retail stations has found. The level exceeds EPA’s current regulatory mandate of 80 percent. All highway diesel fuel must meet the ULSD standards by 2010.

Freight Transportation Services Index fell 0.4 percent in October to 109.1 from the September level of 109.5, turning down after a one-month rise, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported. The October index was 0.7 percent below the October 2005 level. During the first 10 months of 2006, the Freight TSI fell 1.6 percent, the second consecutive decline in the December-to-October period and the biggest decline in the period since 2000.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is expected to reconsider a proposal to allow inspectors to place trucks out of service based solely on data from performance-based brake testers (PBBTs). CVSA members last year rejected reliance solely on PBBTs. Inspectors in some states now use PBBTs to screen for a closer inspection.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the Indiana Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation have signed an agreement to study potential locations for a new limited-access toll highway connecting Interstate 57 in Illinois to I-94 in Indiana. The states will consider providing truck-only lanes on the road.