Highway bill passed by House, moves to Senate for final approval

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Traffic on highway bridge

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the five-year, $305 billion highway-funding bill that was agreed upon by a conference committee Dec. 1.

The House passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act by a 359-65 vote. The five-year bill is a fully-funded resolution between the two chambers’ separate funding and regulatory packages.

Current funding expires Friday, Dec. 4, so the bill will be sent to the Senate for passage before being sent to the White House for President Obama’s signature. The White House has already indicated Obama will sign the bill when he receives it.

For the trucking industry, the FAST Act includes CSA reform, driver drug testing reform and more. Not included in the bill is size/weight reform and “carrier hiring standards.”