Articles by David Shepardson

Trucking Industry Backs Bills Easing Self-Driving Vehicle Regulation

A U.S. trucking trade group and truck maker Navistar International Corp. urged a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday to include self-driving commercial trucks in proposed legislation intended to speed autonomous vehicles to market. The House last week unanimously approved a …

Tesla ‘Operational Limitations’ Cited for ‘Major Role’ in Crash by Safety Board

The chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Tuesday “operational limitations” in the Tesla Model S played a “major role” in a May 2016 crash that killed a driver using the vehicle’s semi-autonomous “Autopilot” system. The …

Congress Eyes More FEMA Disaster Aid, Short-Term Flood Insurance Renewal

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency will run out of disaster assistance funding on Friday unless Congress approves more money, two Florida senators warned on Thursday. As Hurricane Irma barrels through the Caribbean on its way to an expected landfall …

House Unanimously Passes Bill to Ease Deployment of Self-Driving Cars

The U.S. House on Wednesday unanimously approved a sweeping proposal to speed the deployment of self-driving cars without human controls and bar states from blocking autonomous vehicles. The bill now goes to the Senate and would allow automakers to obtain …

House to Vote Next Week on Bill to Speed Autonomous Vehicles

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a sweeping proposal to speed the deployment of self-driving cars without human controls and bar states from blocking autonomous vehicles, congressional aides said. The bill, which was passed unanimously by a …

Neighbors Evacuated as Texas Chemical Plant Poses Explosion Risk

All residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of a chemical plant in southeast Texas were evacuated on Tuesday as a “precautionary measure” on Tuesday because of the rising risk of an explosion, the local fire marshal’s office said in a …

National Safety Board Schedules Vote on Tesla Autopilot Crash Cause

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will vote at a Sept. 12 hearing on the probable cause of a May 2016 crash that killed a man using the semi-autonomous driving system on his Tesla Model S sedan, the agency said …

Takata Files for U.S. Bankruptcy to Halt Air Bag Lawsuits

Japanese auto supplier Takata Corp. filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on Wednesday in an effort to pause lawsuits against the company over faulty air bag inflators – more than a month after its U.S. unit filed for bankruptcy in the …

Volkswagen Wants Judge to Reject Wyoming Lawsuit

Volkswagen AG, trying to put a massive emissions-cheating scandal behind it, has asked a U.S. judge to reject a lawsuit by Wyoming potentially seeking more than $1 billion in additional penalties for environment damages. The ruling could help decide whether …

Honda Says Florida Crash Death May be Linked to Takata Air Bag Inflator

Honda Motor Co said on Thursday that a Takata airbag inflator ruptured in car crash in Florida, in what could be the 19th death worldwide linked to faulty airbags recalled as part of the largest automotive safety campaign in history. …