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In the news this morning: Consolidated Freightways signs service pact with Merzario; Canada's largest port losing millions in strike; and Regulatory reforms pay off for sector.

The closing of Preston Trucking Co., a little more than 12 months after being sold off to company management by Yellow Corp., came as a shock to its 5,500 employees, Teamsters union officials and industry analysts.

At the same time Oregon lawmakers voted to kill the nation’s first weight-distance tax, a pair of influential congressmen were pushing creation of a federal version of a ton-mile levy that they say would result in many truck owners paying less to Uncle Sam.

The Senate debated a Republican-sponsored $792 billion tax cut bill last week that would speed up restoration of the 80% tax deduction for meals eaten by truckers on the road and reduce the estate tax.

Truckers need computers, but they can be downright brutal with them. Just like the military, trucking companies are looking for units that can withstand the hostile environment of their industry.

The leaders of state trucking associations are meeting this week to discuss several industry-related topics, including their comfort level with the restructuring of American Trucking Associations.

Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation ended their second month as owners of a split-up Conrail with reports of weaker earnings. Many shippers say despite some service improvements “normal” operations have not yet been achieved.

A budding express freight delivery service that competes with truckload carriers holds promise of becoming a profit center for Amtrak and helping to supplement the cost of running its passenger rail services, according to a federal report.

The Teamsters union is stepping up the campaign to liberate itself from federal oversight imposed in a 1989 consent decree.