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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed new hours-of-service rule would cut driving hours, a move that trucking industry leaders said was politically motivated, adding cost and complexity while jeopardizing safety advances made in recent years.

The new year for trucking companies picks up right where 2010 left off, with optimism about an improving economy but also plenty of unknowns about which to worry.

The speed limit for all vehicles traveling on the Ohio Turnpike will rise to 70 mph from 65 mph on April 1, a change that the state’s trucking industry opposes.

California environmental regulators have approved amendments aimed at easing the financial burden facing truckers in order to comply with the state’s greenhouse gas emissions regulations.

A federal appeals court granted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration an extension on its proposal for hours-of-service documents until Jan. 31.

Safety and compliance issues were in the spotlight for the trucking industry in 2010, and technology providers subsequently sharpened their focus on products and services aimed at helping fleets cope with increased government scrutiny.

For some time, two things seemed certain for truckers in California: taxes and stiff environmental requirements. That didn’t change in 2010.

After several years of anticipation throughout the trucking industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration finally in October released their joint proposed rule to regulate greenhouse gases for the commercial transportation sector.

Consumer confidence rose to a six-month high this month, according to the final monthly Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Thursday.

The U.S. gross domestic product rose at a 2.6% annual rate in the third quarter, higher than previous estimates, the Commerce Department said Wednesday in its final revision.