���ϳԹ���

Federal officials and the transportation industry are seeking to increase shipping on the nation's “maritime highways,” using short-sea shipping as an alternative to trucking, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The House in a close vote Tuesday night passed renewal of the Patriot Act, and President Bush is expected to sign the legislation before major provisions of the law expire on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Surrounded by a swirl of legal petitions and lawsuits, the driver hours-of-service regulation would seem to be turning into a full employment act for lawyers.

ATA’s Ag Haulers Create Bird Flu Task Force • Senate Renews Patriot Act • Wyoming Sets Regulations on Bridge River Crossing

UTi Worldwide said late Tuesday it had acquired a large third-party logistics and truck brokerage firm, and set a three-for-one stock split.

In testimony on the hours of service issue last fall, James Walker, an automotive consultant, spoke of the importance of setting speed limits based on the 85th percentile rule — i.e., the speed at or below which 85% of drivers operate their vehicles.

OPEC will maintain oil production near a two-decade high as prices remain above $60 a barrel, Bloomberg reported Wednesday..

The average national price of retail diesel fuel jumped 7.4 cents to $2.545 a gallon, while gasoline leaped 7.7 cents to $2.331, the Department of Energy said Monday.

U.S. workers’ productivity fell at a 0.5% annual rate in the fourth quarter, the first decline in nearly five years, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

Former USF Corp. Chief Executive Officer Thomas Bergmann has been named chief financial officer of Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle maker said Monday.