Air travel and rail transport were early examples of deregulation bringing huge benefits to consumers and industries. Yet automobility, air travel, and freight rail, are increasingly threatened with further regulation that will reduce their ability to transport goods and people. CEI opposes these attacks by arguing for greater freedom in mobility and opposing perverse transportation industry regulations.
Transportation Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
Congress should short-circuit the nation’s electric vehicle charging program
Congress recently finalized the fiscal year 2026 budget to end the partial government shutdown while spending billions of taxpayer dollars along the way. One line…
Blog
Full steam ahead: How 50 years of deregulation revitalized US freight rail
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, better known as the 4R Act. For much…
News Release
Coalition urges Congress to reject freight rail regulation in transportation bill
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to transportation committee chairs in Congress opposing the idea of imposing, as part of must-pass surface…
Search Posts
Washington Examiner
Trump’s EPA Rattles Self-Driving Car Industry By Picking ‘Winners And Losers,’ Critics Claim
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on technology neutrality pledge of USDOT Other manufacturers such Tesla and Mercedes-Benz raised concerns over…
Blog
Environmental Protection Agency Considering Backdoor Subsidies for ‘Talking Car’ Tech
During the final days of the Obama administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed its “talking car” mandate. This would have required new…
Blog
How to Articulate a Free-Market Vision for the Future
The Competitive Enterprise Institute views most market failure rationales for government intervention as wrong, overstated, or unproven (or all of the above). The Competitive Enterprise Institute…
News Release
Trump Trade Tariffs Mean Layoffs and Lower Auto Sales for Ford
Ford Motor Company just announced layoffs in the midst of a reported $1 billion in tariff-related losses. Auto sales are down due to trade tariffs…
The Washington Times
Trump To Raise Limit On Ethanol In Gasoline
The Washington Times cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on E15 fuel limit raise. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which frequently supports Mr. Trump’s initiatives,…
Blog
Automated Vehicles 3.0 Guidance Continues Green-Lighting Innovation
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released the third iteration of its guidance for automated vehicles, Preparing for the Future of Transportation:…
News Release
Transportation Dept. Helps Automated Vehicle Future with New, Modernized “AV 3.0” Plan
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation put out its long-anticipated plan to pave the way for automated vehicles. The DOT guidance document is called Preparing…
The Lane Report
Perspective | New Cars, Cleaner Air
The Lane Report cited CEI on CAFE standards. The Department of Transportation finds that the best way to achieve cleaner air is when…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Lifting the Cap on Electric Vehicle Subsidies
We the undersigned organizations write to strongly object to any effort to expand the current electric vehicle tax credit in any way. The justification for…
Reason
New FAA Reauthorization Bill Tackles Seat Size, Supersonic Jets
Reason cited CEI’s Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Congress aviation reform. “From our perspective, this is the most forward-leaning language from Congress on…
News Release
Congress Must End Limbo for Federal Aviation Administration Funding, Though Modernization Still Urgently Needed
Congress is running out of time to pass legislation authorizing spending for the Federal Aviation Administration, with a September 30 deadline looming. CEI transportation policy…
The Daily Caller
Free Market Group: Stop Giving Handouts To Rich Tesla Drivers
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s Tesla coalition letter to Congress. “We, the undersigned organizations, write to strongly object to any effort to expand…
Blog
VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Traveling Safer and More Efficient
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is releasing a new video today on automated vehicles (a/k/a self-driving cars) and how they could make our roads dramatically safer. They…
Blog
To Promote Highway Safety and Innovation, Senate Must Pass AV START Act
It has now been over a year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan SELF DRIVE Act by voice vote. Its companion bill,…
Boston Herald
Concorde could fly again as Congress targets supersonic ban
Boston Herald cited CEI on an upcoming Senate supersonic aviation provisions bill. “Fortunately, R&D has continued despite the ban, and recent technological breakthroughs in manufacturing and…
Inside Sources
Ban on Texting While Driving? No
Should there be a nationwide ban on texting while driving? To many, the obvious answer is a resounding yes. After all, texting while driving, along…
Blog
Senate Should Pass on Joan Claybrook’s Advice and Pass AV START Act
Why are self-styled safety advocates opposing the first legislative step that could help usher in the greatest automotive safety improvements in history? This is a…
Trucks.com
Most States Ban Truck Platooning, but Report Shows Momentum Shift
Trucks.com cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. In a report released Wednesday, the privately funded Competitive Enterprise…
Politico
Politico Morning Transportation: Scribner Platooning Report
Politico cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is out with a new report today…
Illinois News Network
Illinois Could be Next State to Allow Freight Trucks to Utilize Emerging Technology
Illinois News Network cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on automated vehicle platooning. “Something like adaptive cruise control, a common driver assistance system,” Competitive Enterprise…
Fleet Owner
Platooning Still Held Back by Outdated State Laws, Report Says
Fleet Owner cited Senior Fellow Marc Scribner on Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators. A …
Creators Syndicate Online
Trump Rules Make Driving Safer and Cheaper
The Creators Syndicate Online cited CEI on CAFE standards. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the new Trump standards is that they are expected…
Arizona Daily Star
More Realistic Fuel Economy Rule Would Cut Traffic Fatalities and Lower Gas Prices
The Trump administration has proposed to halt the steady increases in auto fuel economy standards that were part of backroom deals made by the Obama…
The Newburgh Gazette
19 States Vow to Sue Over Proposed Fuel Efficiency Rollbacks
The Newburgh Gazette cited Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy Myron Ebell on fuel economy standards. Myron Ebell, a senior energy scholar…
The Daily Caller
‘Make Cars Great Again’: Trump is Rolling Back Obama’s Vehicle Emissions Standards
The Daily Caller cited Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy Myron Ebell on fuel economy standards. “The administration’s announcement that it will…
Blog
Trump Revision of Obama-era Fuel Economy Rules Is No Climate Disaster
In a recent article in Energy and Environment News, several prominent climate scientists bash the Trump administration’s proposed rollback of the Obama administration’s…
Blog
New York City Continues War on Affordable Consumer Travel
Yesterday, the New York City Council voted to impose a one-year cap on the number of ride-hailing vehicles able to operate in the city.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter in Opposition of Fair Fees Amendment in FAA
View Full Document as PDF The Honorable John Thune Chairman Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Dear Chairman Thune:…
Blog
Mileage Rule for New Cars Everything Free Marketers Hoped
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on August 2nd proposed to revise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and…
The Sacramento Bee
PRO: More Realistic Fuel Economy Rule Would Cut Traffic Fatalities and Lower Car Prices
The Trump Administration has proposed to halt the steady increases in auto fuel economy standards that were part of backroom deals made by the Obama…
News Release
CEI: Proposed Changes to CAFE Standards Are Good News for Consumers
Today, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency released proposed revisions to future fuel economy standards set under the Obama Administration.
The Gazette
Iowa among states barring automated truck ‘platoons’
The Gazette cited CEI on Senior Fellow Marc Scribner’s report, “Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning“ A new report released this month by Competitive…
News Release
Trump Tariffs Will Harm US and EU
President Trump is set to meet with EU President Jean-Claude Juncker today, with trade tensions topic #1, but CEI Senior Fellow Iain Murray warns that…
Blog
House Transportation Chairman Proposes Examining Shift to User Fees for Highway Funding
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), the outgoing chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, this week released a legislative discussion draft of a new infrastructure bill,…
Blog
CEI Releases ‘Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2018 Edition’
CEI has released my third annual report on state barriers to vehicle platooning, Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning: A Guide for State Legislators, 2018 Edition.
News Release
Report: Automated Truck Technology Would Mean Cost Savings and Safety Gains – If Legislators Update Decades-Old Laws
Automated vehicle technology promises big cost savings in transporting goods nationwide and increased highway safety, but outdated state laws remain a roadblock, according to a…
Study
Authorizing Automated Vehicle Platooning, 2018 Edition
Automated vehicles have captured the public’s imagination in recent years following successful on-road demonstrations by developers such as Waymo.[1] The prospect of…
SCPR
AUDIO: Marc Scribner Discusses Driverless Cars and State Safety Regulations on AirTalk
CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner joined AirTalk on Southern California Public Radio to discuss driverless car technology and state safety regulations.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Repeal Ban On Operating Civil Supersonic Aircraft
Fifty years after the Concorde’s maiden flight, the ingenuity of American innovators and entrepreneurs means the next generation of commercial supersonic transportation is right around…
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Senate Should Pass AV START Act
Back when CEI published “Free to Prosper: A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress” at the end of 2016, we wrote that “[t]o…
News Release
CEI on Potential Auto Tariff: “Trump Tax” Is Deeply Troubling
This week, the Trump administration launched a probe to consider imposing tariffs on imported automobiles. CEI Senior Fellow Marc Scribner warned such a "Trump tax" would be bad…
Blog
Debunking the Dilatory Objections to the AV START Act
In September 2017, the House of Representatives passed the SELF DRIVE Act by unanimous voice vote. The bill would for the first time establish…
SFGate
Trump, Top Car Executives Meet Amid Struggle Over Climate Rules for Automobiles
SFGate cited Myron Ebell on the need for diversification in motor vechicle standards in order to suit the diverse needs of Americans living across the…
Blog
Zero Emission Vehicles Can Increase Air Pollution: Study
A new report by economist Jonathan Lesser of the Manhattan Institute challenges the conventional wisdom that zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) are superior to new internal…
Blog
Clearing a Regulatory Path for Automated Trucks and Trains
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the national safety regulator of heavy trucks and buses, or commercial motor vehicles. It was created in 2000…
The Washington Examiner
Trump’s Transition Chiefs Urge Him to Stay the Course On Auto Rollback
The Washington Examiner cited Myron Ebell in his signing a joint letter to the president urging him to stay on course in reforming auto emissions…
Letters
CEI Joins Trump Transition Leaders to Urge President Trump to Continue with CAFE Reforms
As members of your presidential transition team, we write to thank you for the tremendous progress that America has made under your leadership. As a…
Comment
CEI Comments on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (“FMCSA”) Request for…
The State Journal-Register
Point: In The Name Of Safety, They Should Allow Testing Of Driverless Cars On Their Roads
The State Journal-Register cited Marc Scribner about how local jurisdictions are not qualified to determine the legality of driverless cars and that their lack of…
Comment
CEI Comments on Automation in the Railroad Industry to the Federal Railroad Administration
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (“CEI”), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (“FRA”) Request for Information on…