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Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced Tuesday the creation of FocusDriven, an organization dedicated to fighting distracted driving.

WASHINGTON — Anne Ferro, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, told Transport Topics she hoped the agency will get a variety of points of view during its upcoming public hearings on hours-of-service.

A powerful earthquake off the shore of Northern California over the weekend caused no significant damage to the state’s transportation infrastructure, the Associated Press reported.

We all have to hope that officials of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration really have their ears open when they hold their three public “listening sessions” later this month over their embattled hours-of-service rule for the nation’s truck drivers.

Orders for new commercial trailers jumped 73% in November from the depressed level of a year ago, even as they fell 27% when compared with the unexpectedly strong order surge in October, according to ACT Research Co.

U.S. truck tonnage declined 3.5% in November from the corresponding month of 2008, but it still was the best year-over-year showing in 12 months, according to American Trucking Associations. Total tonnage grew 2.7% from October’s levels.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it would host a series of public “listening sessions” over its intentions to modify again its often-challenged hours-of-service rule for commercial drivers.

The biodiesel industry was at a virtual standstill last week, despite an assurance by two Senate leaders they will introduce legislation “as soon as possible” to reinstate the tax credit that expired on Dec. 31.

American Trucking Associations announced last week it has promoted two officials in its policy and legal departments.

Automated vehicle tracking is now accessible to more fleets than ever before, as providers pack the technology into small — but powerful — hardware. However, economic and regulatory concerns are keeping older systems firmly entrenched in the trucking industry.