Latest news with #USDepartmentofTransportation
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Expert details Air India plane's 'problem' she believes led to horror crash
Air India flight AI171 crashed earlier this month - killing all but one of the 242 people onboard - but Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of the airline, defended the plane's "clean" engines A computer glitch caused the doomed Air India flight AI171 to crash earlier this month, an aviation expert claimed today. The snag would have sent wrong information to the engine, potentially leading it to believe the Boeing was on the ground when in fact it was airborne on Thursday June 12 in Ahmedabad, western India. The plane careered into a medical college, killing all but one of those onboard and several more people in the building and on the ground. Mary Schiavo, an experienced professional who has worked on aviation disasters across each continent, said she believes a computer error is the most likely cause following a lack of concrete information shared by investigators so far. The former US Department of Transportation inspector general said: "I believe this crash was a computer problem. There are several 787 components that rely on computer code to tell the plane whether it is in the air or on the ground. If the computer or code malfunctions, the engines spool back and the thrust is reduced, even if in flight. "This happened on an ANA 787 flight in 2019, which suffered a dual engine failure as landing, and I'm afraid it could have occurred on the fatal Air India Flight 171." Ms Schiavo is now an aviation analyst and attorney, working for Motley Rice, a law firm investigating the possibilities of what might have occurred during the 787 Dreamliner disaster. As an attorney, she represented more than 50 of the family members of the passengers and crew of all the planes hijacked on September 11, 2001. But the expert says the Air India Flight 171 disaster shares parallels with the ANA 787 flight tragedy in July 2019, which saw another Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - operated by All Nippon Airways - suffer an engine oil problem on approach to Haneda, also known as Tokyo International Airport, in Japan. It experienced a dual engine failure, something Ms Schiavo believes could have happened to the Air India jet. However, the airline's chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, last week defended the plane's engines, describing them as "clean". The 62-year-old businessman told Times Now: "The right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. "The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories. "But the fact that I know so far is this particular aircraft, this specific tail, AI171, has a clean history. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that." The investigation into the crash continues.
India Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- India Today
US judge blocks Trump admin from withholding EV charger funds to 14 states
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding funding previously awarded to 14 states for electric vehicle (EV) charging District Judge Tana Lin, based in Seattle, ruled that the states are likely to succeed in their legal challenge, which argues the federal government acted unlawfully by suspending billions in grants meant to expand EV charging networks. The funds were part of a broader federal push to support EV US Department of Transportation halted the program in February and rescinded state plans while conducting an internal review. Judge Lin's injunction does not apply to the District of Columbia, Minnesota, and Vermont, which also joined the lawsuit but failed to show they would face immediate harm from the funding order will take effect in seven days, giving the Trump administration a window to appeal and potentially seek a stay from a higher February, the Trump administration halted states from using USD 5 billion allocated through the Biden-era National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) initiative was designed to cover up to 80 per cent of project costs for building electric vehicle charging stations. As of now, at least 16 states have one or more operational EV stations, according to the EV States May, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the Trump administration broke the law by withholding funds from the electric vehicle program. It stated that the administration is legally obligated to implement the program as White House rejected the findings, calling them 'wrong and legally indefensible,' and instructed the Department of Transportation to disregard them. The department is now expected to release a draft of its revised electric vehicle guidance later this month.- Ends(With inputs from Reuters)Tune InMust Watch
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Truckers fear job loss as new English language rules take effect
'A driver who can't understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month, while announcing enforcement guidelines that will take effect on Wednesday. Advertisement Updated US Department of Transportation procedures call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards. Truckers who learned English as a second language are concerned they may lose their jobs if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some have worked to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts, and watching instructional videos. 'If it's not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, 'What if I say the wrong thing?'' said Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies. 'It's going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous.' Advertisement The guidance applies to truck and bus drivers engaged in interstate commerce. It aims to improve road safety following incidents in which truck drivers' inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths, the Transportation Department said. Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn't new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe. To get a commercial driver's license, applicants must pass a written test and be able to name the parts of a bus or truck in English as they check tire inflation, tread depth, lug nuts, and coolants. The revised policy reverses guidance issued nine years ago, near the end of then-President Barack Obama's final term, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In 2016, the agency said drivers whose English skills were to found to be lacking could receive a citation but not be prohibited from working. Before that, the penalty was getting placed on 'out-of-service status.' 'We have bridges that get hit because drivers don't understand the signs on the bridges for things like height clearance,' Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said. In Laredo, a border city where many residents speak a mix of English and Spanish, Maldonado's association is offering free English classes on weekends to help truckers feel more confident in their ability to communicate. 'Everybody knows what a stop sign looks like,' Maldonado said. 'But if there's construction or if there is an accident five miles down the road, and they have to put up a sign — 'Caution, must exit now, road closed ahead,' and you are not able to read or understand that, that could potentially be a safety issue.' Advertisement At Driving Academy in Linden, N.J., multilingual instructors teach students how to inspect vehicle parts in their first language and then provide explanations in English, according to founder Jonathan Marques. The school created scripts so students could practice what to say if they're stopped, he said. Students are advised to watch training videos as homework, while licensed truckers can listen to English language apps instead of music when they're on the road, Marques suggested. Instructor Paul Cuartas helps students prepare, but worries that inspectors will now expect truckers and bus drivers to have perfect English. 'I'm concerned because now for all the Spanish people it's more difficult,' he said. Castillo, who moved to the US from Ecuador in 1993, said he has no problem understanding English but has been watching videos to study industry terms. 'Some words I don't understand, but I try to learn more English,' he said. Asked whether he supports the president's executive order, Castillo said he voted for Trump but doesn't agree with the president's push to deport some immigrants who haven't committed crimes. 'He makes a lot of problems, especially for Hispanic people,' Castillo said. GTR Trucking School in Detroit also has offered students ESL classes. Co-owner Al Myftiu drove a truck after moving to the US from Albania in 1993. He said he wants to create a small book of phrases that truckers need to learn. For students with a thick accent, 'I tell them, 'Slow down, speak slowly, and people can understand you, and if you don't understand something, you can ask,'' Myftiu said. Advertisement Roadside inspections can be initiated over issues such as a faulty brake light or on a routine basis, and often take place at weigh stations. The guidance directs inspectors who suspect a driver doesn't understand what they're saying to administer an English proficiency test, which includes both an interview and a highway traffic sign recognition component. In the past, some drivers used translation apps to communicate with federal inspectors. The updated policy bars the use of interpreters, smartphones, cue cards, or other aids during interviews. Several truck drivers taking a break at Flying J Travel Center in New Jersey said they support Trump's order, adding that drivers who heavily rely on translation programs probably wouldn't be able to read important signs. 'We try to ask them questions about the business just to strike a conversation, ... and they're not able to communicate with us at all,' Kassem Elkhatib, one of the drivers at Flying J, said. It's unclear how safety inspectors will decide whether a driver knows enough English to continue driving, because that portion of the instructions was redacted from the guidance distributed by Transportation Department. The department advised
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Trump order requires truckers to speak English
At a trucking school in New Jersey, students are maneuvering 18-wheelers around traffic cones. Other future drivers look under hoods to perform safety checks, narrating as they examine steering hoses for cracks and leaks. An instructor glides between speaking Spanish and English as he teaches Manuel Castillo, a native Spanish speaker, how to inspect a school bus. They're using a printed script of English phrases to practice what Castillo would say during a roadside inspection. Brushing up on English has taken on new urgency for future and current truck drivers after President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying truckers who don't read and speak the language proficiently would be considered unfit for service. "A driver who can't understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month while announcing enforcement guidelines that take effect on Wednesday. Updated US Department of Transportation procedures call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards. Truckers who learned English as a second language are concerned they may lose their jobs if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some have worked to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts and watching instructional videos. "If it's not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, 'What if I say the wrong thing?'" said Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies. "It's going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous." The guidance applies to truck and bus drivers engaged in interstate commerce. It aims to improve road safety following incidents in which truck drivers' inability to read signs or speak English may have contributed to traffic deaths, the Transportation Department said. Requiring truck drivers to speak and read English isn't new, but the penalty for not meeting the proficiency standard is becoming more severe. To get a commercial driver's license, applicants must pass a written test and be able to name the parts of a bus or truck in English as they check tire inflation, tread depth, lug nuts and coolants. The revised policy reverses guidance issued nine years ago, near the end of then-President Barack Obama's final term, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In 2016, the agency said drivers whose English skills were found lacking could receive a citation but not be prohibited from working. Before that, the penalty was getting placed on "out-of-service status." "We have bridges that get hit because drivers don't understand the signs on the bridges for things like height clearance," Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said. In Laredo, a border city where many residents speak a mix of English and Spanish, Maldonado's association is offering free English classes on weekends to help truckers feel more confident in their ability to communicate. "Everybody knows what a stop sign looks like," Maldonado said. "But if there's construction or if there is an accident five miles down the road, and they have to put up a sign — 'Caution, must exit now, road closed ahead,' and you are not able to read that or understand that, that could potentially be a safety issue." At Driving Academy in Linden, New Jersey, multilingual instructors teach students how to inspect vehicle parts in their first language and then provide explanations in English, according to founder Jonathan Marques. The school created scripts so students could practice what to say if they're stopped, he said. Students are advised to watch training videos as homework, while licensed truckers can listen to English language apps instead of music when they're on the road, Marques suggested. Instructor Paul Cuartas helps students prepare but worries that inspectors will now expect truckers and bus drivers to have perfect English. "I'm concerned because now for all the Spanish people it's more difficult," he said. Castillo, who moved to the US from Ecuador in 1993, said he has no problem understanding English but has been watching videos to study industry terms. "Some words I don't understand, but I try to learn more English," he said. Asked whether he supports the president's executive order, Castillo said he voted for Trump but doesn't agree with the president's push to deport some immigrants who haven't committed crimes. "He makes a lot of problems, especially for Hispanic people," Castillo said. GTR Trucking School in Detroit also has offered students ESL classes. Co-owner Al Myftiu drove a truck after moving to the U.S. from Albania in 1993. He said he wants to create a small book of phrases that truckers need to learn. For students with a thick accent, "I tell them, 'Slow down, speak slowly and people can understand you, and if you don't understand something, you can ask,'" Myftiu said. Roadside inspections can be initiated over issues such as a faulty brake light or on a routine basis, and often take place at weigh stations. The guidance directs inspectors who suspect a driver doesn't understand what they're saying to administer an English proficiency test, which includes both an interview and a highway traffic sign recognition component. In the past, some drivers used translation apps to communicate with federal inspectors. The updated policy bars the use of interpreters, smartphones, cue cards or other aids during interviews. Several truck drivers taking a break at Flying J Travel Center in New Jersey said they support Trump's order, adding that drivers who heavily rely on translation programs probably wouldn't be able to read important signs. "We try to ask them questions about the business just to strike a conversation, ... and they're not able to communicate with us at all," Kassem Elkhatib, one of the drivers at Flying J, said. It's unclear how safety inspectors will decide whether a driver knows enough English because that portion of the instructions was redacted from the guidance distributed by Transportation Department. The department advised motor carriers that drivers should be able to answer questions about shipping documents, the origin and destination of trips, and how long they've been on duty. A trucker placed out of service and the company they work for are responsible for ensuring a language violation is corrected before the driver hits the highway again, the Transportation Department said. Truck drivers who practice the Sikh religion already face discrimination in hiring and at loading docks, according to Mannirmal Kaur, federal policy manager for Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group. Now they are worried about inspectors making subjective, non-standardized determinations about which of them are proficient in English, she said. "A truck driver who does speak English sufficiently to comply with federal standards but maybe they speak with an accent, or maybe they use a different vocabulary that the inspector isn't used to hearing: Is that person then going to be subject to an English language violation?" Kaur asked. "And under the new policy, are they then going to be designated out-of-service, which could result in unemployment?" Associated Press
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Qantas passenger hits out over hidden travel frustration for thousands of Aussies: 'So common'
An Australian disability advocate is calling for better, disability-led policies and systemic reforms to ensure disabled travellers are respected, and their mobility aids are properly handled, after her wheelchair was damaged for a third time by Qantas. Melbourne woman Zoe Simmons, who lives with fibromyalgia, said she recently embarked on a round-trip to Tokyo from Melbourne with the national carrier, and when she was given back her wheelchair in Australia, it had sustained substantial damages. She said it was handed back with warped metal, broken parts, and scratches that impacted its safety and usability. Zoe said that in 2021, a similar, though more severe incident occurred with Qantas, and again last year, though she didn't report the latter issue — the steering controller had broken off — over fears of being "laughed off". Following her recent trip to Japan, Qantas did arrange for Zoe to get her wheelchair repaired through one of its partnered repair services, but she feels it's unfair that disabled passengers have to accept this as the norm — that they're expected to handle repairs themselves whenever their mobility aids are damaged during travel. Zoe said she, and hundreds of thousands around the country, remain deeply frustrated at the energy it takes disabled passengers to continually advocate for repairs and recognition, often met with indifference or excuses from airline staff. "I just hate that it's so common, like what are they doing to our wheelchairs that causes metal to warp and break," Zoe told Yahoo News Australia. "There are chunks out of the arm rests, the arm rests are very warped and are weirdly sitting now, they're also loose, the foot guard has chunks out of it, my wheel cover and my cup holder are also damaged, not to mention the scratches, and so on. "Last time I flew with them, they broke my wheelchair controller off. And it was just laughed off! I didn't have the energy to fight for such a small thing then." Zoe said that after discovering damage to her wheelchair, she had to explain her story to several airport staff who mostly responded with dismissive sympathy. When a manager eventually spoke with her, Zoe raised the issue of how the burden always falls on disabled people to advocate for themselves—something the manager denied, citing policies and procedures, without acknowledging how exhausting that constant advocacy is. She criticised the way airlines treat wheelchairs like baggage instead of essential mobility aids, and called for stronger policies, better staff training, and public reporting on wheelchair damage. "Imagine if non-disabled people expected their legs to be broken every time they flew, if chunks came off," she said. "What if your bones were warped? They need to stop treating wheelchairs like baggage and start respecting them for what they are." Zoe highlighted that in the US, some 30 wheelchairs are damaged daily during flights, according to the US Department of Transportation, which began requiring airlines to report wheelchair and scooter damage in December, 2018. Since then, monthly reports have consistently shown that an average of around 25–30 mobility devices are damaged each day across US domestic flights. But Australia lacks transparent recording or reporting of such incidents. "It's just frustrating to have sat in the Disability Royal Commission several years ago, and we're talking about this. While things are improving, they aren't improving fast enough," she said. "We need disability-led policy and procedural reforms, and to ensure everyone has access to repairs, not just people who can be the squeaky wheel." In a letter given to Zoe by Qantas, seen by Yahoo, a representative asked her to take her "damaged bag" to an authorised repairer. "If this is not convenient, please forward a quote for the repair with this letter to your nearest Qantas office for review," it said. Speaking to Yahoo on Wednesday, a Qantas spokesperson "sincerely apologised" for the ordeal. "We sincerely apologise to Ms Simmons for the damage caused to her wheelchair. We know how critically important mobility aids are, and we are investigating how this damage occurred," they said. "We are working closely with Ms Simmons to ensure the repairs are facilitated as soon as possible." Woman slams shocking treatment at Aussie music festival: 'Not good enough' Hidden danger affecting vulnerable Aussies outside supermarkets 'Horrible' reality millions of Aussies face every time they board a flight After Yahoo's enquiries, Zoe said Qantas reached out to her again. She said their designated repairer doesn't service her type of wheelchair. "I then gave them the details of a repairer I know will work, but see all the hoops and onus and exhaustion here, when this stuff happens every day," she said "I'm not mad for myself — I am mad for every disabled person who experiences this, in whatever way that might look like," she said. "I am not that angry about my chair. What I'm angry about is that this is what we are expected to put up with — and much, much worse — every time we fly." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
