Long Beach, Calif., is involved in a pilot program focused on smart infrastructure that will tap real-time data from a fleet of 50 smart vehicles to control intersection flow. "Systems like that have the potential to improve the efficiency of our transportation network," notes Ryan Kurtzman, program manager of Long Beach Smart Cities, who adds that the pilot could "inform how we could deploy this type of technology on a larger scale across the city."

General Motors is a step closer to launching its Future Roads data analytics platform. The automaker has applied for a trademark for the name of the platform, which will analyze vehicle data for government agencies.

NLEX Corp. is optimistic about the rebound of traffic across the North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway in the Philippines. "We expect traffic growth of 25% in NLEX and 23% in SCTEX versus the 2020 average," said Romulo Quimbo, Jr., senior vice president of communications.

Eighteen large trucks and vans have collided with toll booth canopies on the MacKay Bridge in Nova Scotia, and Halifax Harbour Bridges will install clearance bars to warn drivers of overhead space restrictions. The bars should be installed during November, with concrete canopies to be removed later as part of the transition to cashless tolling.

The National Highways Authority of India has again delayed the opening of the underpass at Sirhaul toll plaza in Gurugram. The underpass has been rescheduled to open at the end of the month after electrical infrastructure work is finished.

The US Supreme Court has turned down a group of truckers' call to hear an appeal over heavy truck rates on the Indiana Toll Road, ending a two-year lawsuit. Federal judges previously ruled in favor of the state, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals pointing out the existence of alternative toll-free routes.

Amazon will recruit 150,000 seasonal workers this year, up from the 100,000 it planned to hire at this time last year, with an average US starting wage of $18 per hour. The company said last month that it has opened 250 logistics facilities in the US so far this year.

Intermodal rail service would benefit from five new areas of measurement as its importance grows, writes Theodore Prince, co-founder and chief operating officer of Tiger Cool Express. Prince recommends evaluating initiation of intermodal shipments, en route rail movement, destination terminal performance, terminal health and overall system health.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, are introducing a bipartisan bill that would ban platforms such as Amazon Marketplace from forcing companies that sell on their sites to buy the platforms' services or products, as well as forbid the platforms from giving their own products top billing in search results. The measure comes as reports say Amazon makes its own products based on top-selling items and places them high in search results.

There aren't enough truck drivers to handle backed-up cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California, although Port of Long Beach Director Mario Cordero says staying open around-the-clock will let drivers pick up loads more quickly. Would-be drivers are struggling to get commercial licenses because of delays and closures at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, says Luis Franco, owner of Harbor Trucking School.