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Trucking company failures leaped to 730 during the first quarter, the largest number since the third quarter of 2008, as the recession continued to take a toll on freight carriers, said Donald Broughton of Avondale Partners.

The economic recovery and understanding how of government regulations will affect business will be key themes of the National Tank Truck Carriers’ annual conference, scheduled for May 10-12 in Chicago. 

Most publicly traded trucking companies have reported improved first-quarter earnings, adding evidence that the economic recovery is moving forward and offering hope that the second quarter will be even stronger.

The good news continued to pour in last week, as a string of trucking-related companies reported improving bottom-line results during the year’s first quarter.

CINCINNATI — A strengthening freight market is leading to higher freight rates, and more loads are going unclaimed, attendees at the National Private Truck Council’s annual management conference said. 

James “Whit” Whittinghill, the one-time chief lobbyist for American Trucking Associations, died April 15 at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 57.

Arkansas Best Corp.’s ABF Freight System and the Teamsters union said they have reached agreement on a 15% wage reduction to help the less-than-truckload carrier cope with losses triggered by the recession. 

FedEx Corp. and UPS Inc. again have access to their European hub airports after spending nearly a week of enduring flight cancellations and seeking ground-based transportation alternatives after a volcano in Iceland began spewing hot ash into the skies over the continent, closing airports and stilling the movement of air freight.

New orders for Class 8 trucks in March rose 28% from a year earlier, the second month in a row they have climbed, as buyers put requests for 11,285 new vehicles on the books, according to ACT Research Co.