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WASHINGTON — Top executives with two of the nation’s largest trucking companies urged Congress to raise the federal fuel tax in order to fund infrastructure projects that benefit freight.

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.5% annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Friday it has eliminated what it said is a redundant requirement that truck and bus drivers report out-of-state traffic convictions to the states where they are licensed.

Consumer confidence fell in April to a three-month low, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index.

Federal officials said Thursday they have shut down four Kansas trucking companies, alleging that three of them are reincarnations of the fourth and that they were created to avoid financial penalties and an out-of-service order.

A trucking executive told a House committee Wednesday that Congress needs to address the needs of the trucking industry by dedicating real funding to addressing freight transportation needs and by improving the efficiency and productivity of the industry.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is making $474 million available for a competitive grant program and is asking for applications from state and local agencies who want to use the money.

The federal government issued guidelines Tuesday to encourage automakers to limit the potential for driver distractions from electronic systems built into passenger cars, including those that connect to cellphones and the Internet.

A transportation funding proposal unveiled by Pennsylvania lawmakers last week would raise $2.5 billion by changing how the state collects transportation money, including eliminating the cap on the state’s wholesale fuel tax.

Vermont’s Senate cut back on a planned gasoline tax increase passed by the House, but proposed raising the state’s diesel tax, the Associated Press reported.