As Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Elaine Chao plays a vital role in shaping the industry. She oversees the formulation of national transportation policy and serves as principle advisor to the president in all matters relating to federal transportation programs. Redefining the Road magazine recently caught up with Secretary Chao to talk about her personal career journey, her perspective on gender diversity and her...

The United States’ top transportation official discusses USDOT’s approach and response to the pandemic and how non-pandemic priorities continue to move forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted priorities in every business sector, as well as the day-to-day lives of people. At the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the pandemic intensified efforts to uphold the department’s...

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you all for that warm welcome.  And it is a great honor for me to be here on such a special day to welcome 16 new Americans to the American family.  Give yourselves a round of applause.  (Applause.) And it’s an honor to be here with some extraordinary public servants...

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao answered these questions from ARTBA. Q: The surface transportation system continues to undergo transformation, in terms of both the technology on our roads and the way the traveling public uses the roadways. How has USDOT prioritized innovation to ensure we are prepared for the future needs of our...

Long-awaited revisions to the hours of service (HOS) regulations were released on May 14 to mixed reviews. The changes, published in the Federal Register on June 1, will become effective on Sept. 29. The 120-day period before the ruling becomes effective allows time for training of enforcement agencies and updating of ELD equipment. In announcing...

Playbook Reporter Anna Palmer: Welcome to Playbook. I’m joined by my colleague and Playbook co-author Jake Sherman to host a virtual Playbook interview with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to talk about her role in the recovery, how she’s handling the safety for herself and the agency, the future of airlines and her outlook on a...

Among the most overlooked heroes of the 2020 coronavirus crisis are the men and women who haul food and supplies around the country to your local supermarket. Americans can stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer—and generally keep themselves fed—only as long as the nation’s truckers keep working.   We stress the word “overlooked.”...

CONNELLSVILLE, Pennsylvania — It is 6:59 a.m., and Amtrak’s Capitol Limited is slowly pulling up to the station here that sits along the Youghiogheny River. For many people, this little station in one of the poorest counties in Pennsylvania is their only lifeline to travel to family and friends during the travel restrictions of the...

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — Help is on the way for airlines and airports, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said. During the coronavirus pandemic, the suffering is obvious to anyone who walks into an airport like this one: Pittsburgh International Airport has seen passenger traffic in and out of the facility go from 26,000 people a...

Billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding is awarded through competitive grants every year. The competitive nature of these grants ensures our tax dollars are being spent wisely on the most important and pressing infrastructure projects across the country. From the Champ Clark Bridge replacement in Louisiana to the South Main Corridor Improvement Project in...