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The rate at which fatalities occurred in highway accidents involving large trucks dropped to the lowest level on record, falling 14.1% in 2009 from the previous year, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation data by American Trucking Associations.

Truck-driver turnover rose from historic lows during the fourth quarter of 2010, and is likely to rise further this year as fleets seek more drivers to meet growing freight demand, American Trucking Associations reported last week.

The U.S. used Class 8 market, beset by a widespread scarcity of low-mileage vehicles and spiraling prices, is expected to receive a huge infusion of fresh supply, according to industry executives and analysts.

The first extended network of natural gas filling stations could be running in a few years, the head of the nation’s largest natural-gas fuel distributor said April 13.

The Government Accountability Office last week issued two reports that found flaws in the Transportation Department’s process for awarding $9.5 billion in federal stimulus grants, drawing sharp criticism from some Republican members of Congress.

Federal regulators should abandon a proposed rule that would restrict transportation of flammable liquids in the pipes used to load and unload gasoline and other flammable products, the chairman of American Trucking Associations told a House panel last week.

Legislation that would allow states to increase maximum vehicle weights to 97,000 pounds on interstate highways has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The outlook for brokerage firms is mostly positive, despite compressed margins and inflationary cost pressures, industry officials and analysts said.

The Transportation Department said its recently unveiled three-year pilot program to allow Mexican trucks to enter the United States combines multiple safety-related steps with a new approach to determine the level of participation.

The average price for a gallon of U.S. retail diesel rose above $4 last week for the first time in two-and-a-half years and will likely remain there through 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.