The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA’s) oversight of Hurricane Sandy recovery grantees’ compliance is assessed in a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General. The FTA awarded grants after Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012 for response, recovery, and rebuilding projects. This report identifies which grantees complied with the requirements to carry required insurance and reported on insurance proceeds.

The ways the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identifies carriers that are not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles are evaluated in a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General. This report also identifies challenges the FMCSA may face when implementing the suggested corrective action plan.

Impacts of adopting transportation network companies (TNCs) are analyzed in Business Traveler Behavioral Shifts from Ride-Hailing: A Before-After Case Study , a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy. This report specifically identifies the cost and behavioral effects of using TNCs over rental vehicles for business travel.

Parameters that influence noise reduction measurements are described in Noise Level Reduction Measurement Method Equalization and Normalization , a report from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This report also establishes procedures for measuring noise level reduction of façades as part of an airport sound-insulation program.

Micromobility is discussed in a video series from the Volpe Center at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, explores the future of mobility, with a focus on shared modes of transportation.

The Polar Icebreaker program is discussed in Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (Polar Icebreaker) Program: Background and Issues for Congress , a report from the U.S Congressional Research Service. This report provides a breakdown of the costs and maintenance issues of the current icebreaking fleet and potential new icebreakers.

The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released a report that summarizes the most recent updates in the FTA’s ongoing Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Initiative. This initiative seeks to provide technical assistance for improved access to public transportation, new economic opportunities, pathways to employment, and support for transit-oriented development (TOD) within transportation corridors and around public transportation stations. The initiative focuses on economic devel...

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a technical brief that describes how scour may impact shallow abutment foundations at bridged waterways. It also provides design recommendations to protect at-risk shallow abutment foundations from scour.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has released a report that provides guidelines for the conduct of life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies for airfields. This report identifies strategies for all phases of LCA, including goal and scope definition, life-cycle inventory development, impact assessment, interpretation and critical review, and reporting. The goal of this report is to examine how the airfield LCA guidelines may be used to quantify the environmental impacts of different kinds of decisions m...

The U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center has released a report that defines design and service characteristics of low-speed automated shuttles. It also identifies the deployers, their motivations, and their partners; and provides information on demonstrations and deployments, both international and domestic. This report also explores several research questions on topics ranging from safety and accessibility to user acceptance and societal impacts of low-speed automated shuttles. These vehicles ...