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Trucking officials are split over whether a funding crisis at some driver training schools could trigger driver shortages, or do little harm to an industry that can put plenty of bodies behind the wheel after a long slump in freight demand.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The government should exempt safety products from the federal excise tax on new truck purchases, Andrea Raber, director of new ventures for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, said at a news conference at the Mid-America Truck Show.

Within the next couple of weeks, EFS Transportation Services’ cashless fuel payment program will take over the customer base that had been using TransCore Inc.’s third-party fuel card service, Ryan Ramey, EFS senior vice president, told Transport Topics.

The number of carriers that cut starting base pay for drivers with three years of experience rose slightly during the November-January period, according to a quarterly report of driver compensation at major truckload carriers.

WASHINGTON — Two senators expressed support last week for anti-terrorist measures to increase inspection levels of ships and containers at U.S. ports rather than pre-clearing most shipments at their international points of origin as proposed by the Bush administration.

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say that information the trade community routinely compiles is indispensable in preventing terrorists from slipping bombs, weapons or other material on shipping containers, but trucking representatives want assurances that the information voluntarily supplied to the government will not be misused.

A unit of FedEx Corp. is handling mail shipments between the U.S. Postal Service and two offsite irradiation facilities until the national mail carrier sets up its own equipment for destroying anthrax and other iological contaminants, FedEx officials confirmed.

Qualcomm Inc. announced the launch of its FleetAdvisor fleet management system this month, giving the wireless business service provider the ability for the first time to sell a comprehensive, in-house package of onboard software, hardware and communications technology.

A Silicon Valley technology start-up is pushing its initial vehicle tracking and security system to the automobile market, but officials at SecuraTrak Inc. say their product already is finding acceptance among small truck fleets.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta will receive staff recommendations within 60 days on how to implement a nationwide identification card for transportation workers, the secretary's national security adviser told a congressional panel.