| | | | |  | | By Tanya Snyder | | | With help from Oriana Pawlyk and Ry Rivard PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 27.
| | — FAA is jumping into action to address air traffic controller shortages and other deficiencies that may have led to several recent near misses. — Workers at all of the Big Three automakers have ratified their new contracts. — NHTSA finally withdraws a vehicle-to-vehicle communications rule that was clearly not going anywhere. IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. You can reach Alex, Oriana, Tanya and Hannah at adaugherty@politico.com, opawlyk@politico.com, tsnyder@politico.com and hpinski@politico.com, respectively. Find us all on the platform formerly known as Twitter @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC, @oriana0214 and @HannahPinski. “No sé si irme en el Mercedes o en el Maserati / modelos extranjeras que me dicen papi.”
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance: Strengthening access to DCA will benefit Americans across the country, including students who visit every year. The perimeter rule has restricted competition at DCA, resulting in the nation's capital having the highest ticket prices in the nation and putting trips out of reach for too many young people. Learn more. | | | | | FAA FOLLOWING UP ON TOUGH REPORT: The FAA is already taking steps to address problems identified in an independent report, commissioned by the agency and released last week, that found weaknesses in the air traffic controller workforce and other funding and staffing challenges, reports Oriana. “The independent safety review team made some excellent recommendations and we are adopting some of them immediately,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Friday. Among other actions, the agency will fast-track graduates of college air traffic control training programs, letting them skip FAA Academy coursework and go straight to on-the-job training. It’s a significant step for one of the agency’s thorniest problems: air traffic controller staffing shortages. Read more in Oriana’s five takeaways from the report.
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | DONE DEAL: United Auto Workers members at all of the Big Three automakers have ratified their contracts after a novel six-week “stand-up” strike that kept the companies guessing as to what plant would be put out of commission next. As Olivia Olander reports, the strike also “solidified President Joe Biden’s alignment with organized labor,” despite a somewhat rocky start — and still no formal endorsement from the union. Final tallies: Ford and Stellantis workers approved the contract on Friday, each by a margin greater than 2-to-1, following General Motors’ closer 55-45 vote on Thursday. “The contracts, which are largely the same across all three companies, include 25 percent wage increases over 4.5 years, with even greater gains for some lower-paid workers,” Olivia reports. The deals also provide a path for bringing battery workers under the master agreement in the future. V2V RULE WITHDRAWN: NHTSA is withdrawing a proposed vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications rule, issued in the last days of the Obama administration and ignored by both the Trump and Biden DOTs. In a notice to be posted in today’s Federal Register, NHTSA attributed the reversal to two things: 1) industry’s embrace of cellular vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X), as opposed to the dedicated short range communication (DSRC) technology mandated by the rule, and 2) the FCC’s decision to carve up the 5.9 GHz “safety” band of spectrum that had been reserved for vehicle communications, giving much of it to unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi. Back in the game: ITS America President and CEO Laura Chace quoted NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson as saying that the rule withdrawal “doesn’t take NHTSA out of the game; it puts us back in the game.” Chace said that “at a time of historic traffic fatalities, we look forward to seeing NHTSA get back in the game and engage with the industry on scaling V2X nationwide.”
| | | CTA TRAIN DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO BRAKE: NTSB is investigating an episode Thursday in which a Chicago Transit Authority train crashed into snow equipment that was on the track for a planned training exercise in advance of the season. Thirty-eight people were injured. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a Friday afternoon press conference that the train — which knew the equipment was on the track and was stopping — struck the snow equipment at 27 mph. “This train, on this day, was designed to stop within 1,780 feet,” Homendy said. “It didn’t.” Investigators determined that there was thick black debris on the track and that the wheels were slipping, but Homendy also pointed to a “design problem” — the planned braking distance was too short. “They should have had 2,745 feet to stop that train,” she said. Ongoing service disruption: It’s unclear how long the yellow line will be shut down while NTSB and CTA finish their work. NTSB is not planning another press conference. METRO-NORTH LABOR PEACE: One of the nation’s most contentious transit labor disputes appears to be over after the Transportation Workers of America said it had reached a tentative agreement with Metro-North, the commuter rail system operated by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority that connects New York City, the Hudson Valley and parts of Connecticut. The union had threatened a walkout and a strike. Starting over: Metro-North’s 600 car inspectors, coach cleaners and mechanics still will not benefit from the same economic package that MTA’s subway workers receive, TWU President John Samuelsen said. But they will now receive an annual $500 “tool allowance,” and the salary increases they’ll receive are retroactive to cover a four-year-old expired contract, meaning workers may receive thousands of dollars in lump-sum payments, according to Samuelsen. The union also said it managed to stave off MTA’s demand for loose language that would allow the agency to unilaterally reopen the contract. Because the new contract is retroactive going back four years, labor negotiators must get to work again soon as a new contract cycle begins. The MTA did not respond to a request for comment.
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance:   | | | | | ZIPPIN’ AWAY: Zipline, a drone delivery company, on Friday completed its first beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight in the U.S. without observers, a new milestone as many drone companies are working toward achieving the same feat. “This is widely considered the holy grail of approvals for scaling drone delivery operations,” Okeoma Moronu, Zipline’s head of global aviation regulatory affairs, said of the flight, which took place in the Salt Lake City area. In September, the FAA granted an exemption for Zipline to start BVLOS flights.
| | NEW MAGAZINE FOR RAIL FANS: The Rail Passengers Association, an advocacy group, announced Friday that it’s launching a “captivating new magazine” — yes, an actual paper magazine — called “American Rail,” which will “devote itself wholly to exploring, explaining, and celebrating the new Passenger Rail Renaissance made possible by the historic 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” according to RPA President and CEO Jim Mathews. The first issue hits the stands — actual physical newsstands — this winter.
| | | | JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 12/12: For centuries, women were left out of the rooms that shaped policy, built companies and led countries. Now, society needs the creativity and entrepreneurship of women more than ever. How can we make sure that women are given the space and opportunity to shape the world’s future for the better? Join POLITICO's Women Rule on Dec. 12 for Leading with Purpose: How Women Are Reinventing the World to explore this and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | POWERING THE CABOOSE: Electrifying truck trailers, in addition to cabs, can make trucks up to 37 percent more efficient, according to independent testing of powered semi trailers from a company called Range Energy. Trucks with 59,000-pound loads were tested on a 25.5-mile urban/highway loop by the testing company Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions. “Our drivers also liked the Range trailer; reporting it pulled easier and felt lighter,” said Daryl Bear, chief operating officer of MVT Solutions.
| | | | The National League of Cities elected Mayor-Elect David Sander of Rancho Cordova, Calif., as its new president. It also elected Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge, La., to serve as first vice president, and Mayor Steve Patterson of Athens, Ohio, to serve as second vice president. NLC members also elected new members to its Board of Directors and appointed chairs for its Federal Advocacy Committees.
| | — “SpaceX’s Starship rocket reaches space but is intentionally destroyed mid-flight." CNBC. — “From airlines to ticket sellers, companies fight U.S. to keep junk fees." The Washington Post. — “New tool for building and fixing roads and bridges: Artificial intelligence." The New York Times. — “Nation’s top auto safety regulator misses deadline on potentially life-saving new rules for vehicle seats." CBS News. — “BETA receives $169m EXIM bank financing.” Revolution.aero. — “These electric ferries may set a new standard around clean public transportation.” The Washington Post. — “Tesla to deliver only 10 Cybertrucks at delivery event, says exec.” Electrek. — “Has the big federal infrastructure bill changed your commute? Q&A with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg." WTOP. — “MBTA says it needs $24.5 billion to repair transit system." CBS News. — “SEPTA Transit Police could strike next Monday if contract deal isn’t reached." 6ABC. — “‘We had a plan and then things kept moving’: battered yet enduring, Highway 1 remains closed." Los Angeles Times.
| | | | A message from Capital Access Alliance: Students of all backgrounds should be able to experience their nation’s capital affordably, which is why modernizing the perimeter rule and adding more flights at DCA is so important.
Congress has a chance to make air travel more affordable for our future leaders and all Americans. It's time to bring D.C. air travel into the 21st century. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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