Shipping and Cargo

Negotiations over a new labor agreement for workers at ports on the East Coast will resume this month, the group that is mediating the contentious discussions said Thursday.

Talks between the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) had stalled last month after months of negotiations.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) said Thursday that the two sides have agreed to return to the negotiating table on Sept. 17, however.

The platform approved by Republicans on Tuesday calls for the elimination of funding for Amtrak passenger rail service, private airport security screening and stopping the use of money earmarked for highway construction for other purposes.

The more than 30,000-word document was approved on the first full day of the 2012 GOP convention in Tampa, Fla. It includes many provisions that were pushed by Republicans in the House during recent negotiations over the new $105 billion transportation bill that was approved by lawmakers in June.

Among them are reducing environmental regulations to expedite construction projects and using more money that is earmarked for transportation for road and highway projects, rather than other forms of transportation such as public transit or bicycling and pedestrian programs.

The National Retail Federation is calling on negotiators in a stalled labor fight involving the U.S. port industry to come back to the table and reach a deal

The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union for port workers have been attempting to negotiate a new labor contract for most of 2012, but talks between the sides have broken down.

The Washington, D.C.-based NRF said Monday that failing to reach a deal could cripple the U.S. economy.

“We understand and recognize that there are tough issues that need to be resolved,” NRF President Matthew Shay said in a statement. “The issue will only be resolved, however, by agreeing to stay at the negotiating table until a final deal is reached. Failure to reach agreement will lead to supply chain disruptions which could seriously harm the U.S. economy.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the launch of the Freight Policy Council on Thursday in Seattle.

The Freight Policy Council will develop a national plan for improving the efficiency of freight movement and encourage states to develop a freight strategy.

The Department of Transportation is waving limits on how many hours truck drivers can work per week in response to drought conditions in the Midwest, the White House said Tuesday.

The waiver can be applied to commercial truck drivers delivering supplies to farmers and ranchers, the White House said. States that have been declared in a state of emergency by their governor automatically receive "regulatory relief for those providing emergency assistance," according to a fact sheet provided by the administration.

The White House noted that the recently approved $105-billion transportation bill will also give permits for trucks that that weigh more than normal limits.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that five ports along the East Coast that have been identified by President Obama for expedited expansion would become "economic engines" for the entire Atlantic coast.

The White House identified ports in Jacksonville and Miami, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; New York and New Jersey for expansion as a part of Obama's "We Can't Campaign" against what he says is congressional inaction.

LaHood said Thursday that the expansions, which have long been sought by transportation officials in those states, would create jobs and encourage international commerce.

"Because they create jobs and keep goods moving freely and efficiently, these port projects will be crucial economic engines for the entire Eastern seaboard," he said in a blog post on the Department of Transportation's website. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The number of charter flights into Florida's St. Petersburg International Airport is expected to increase during the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Shipping company FedEx is buying a Brazilian transportation and logistics firm.

Debris from a disabled Air Canada plane landed on cars near Toronto.

A strike at Istanbul Airport has forced Turkish Airlines to cancel 100 flights.

Any new federal surface transportation bill that emerges from the committee of lawmakers conferencing on the measure should include provisions establishing a national policy for freight movement, a group of organizations invested in the shipping and retail industries said Thursday.

The Freight Stakeholders Coalition, which was form to press lawmakers to consider freight issues in the proposed highway bill, called on lawmakers on the 47-member transportation conference committee to include a 10-point freight policy that was adopted by Senate in its compromise version of the highway bill.

The policy calls for the federal government to spend $2 billion on improving freight mobility. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A settlement has been reached in a case involving an accident between a duck boat and barge ship.

A pair of Southwest Airlines flights were grounded because of a bomb threat.

A United Airlines airplane made an emergency landing in Denver.

New Jersey's transportation commissioner wants his state's commuter buses to pick up passengers at Manhattan bus stops.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The New Jersey Transit Corp. is using bomb-sniffing dogs at its busiest stations.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has closed an Indiana trucking company for safety violations.

A British man was fined for a tweet about blowing up an airport.

A report shows a canceled high-speed railway in Florida would have made a profit.