ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood an-nounced last week he will take steps to try to further curb distracting driving activities such as text messaging or using a cell phone or a Global Positioning System device.

Maersk Line’s chassis rental fee went into effect at the Port of New York and New Jersey on Aug. 3, and although there were not any freight disruptions, the head of a trade group for drayage haulers said that the rollout could have gone smoother.

Manufacturer ArvinMeritor Inc. said it lost $162 million in the April-to-June quarter, while also announcing last week it has found a buyer for its light-vehicle wheels business and has stepped up its marketing effort for truck disc and drum brakes ahead of the government’s new truck stopping-distance rule.

The selective catalytic reduction process that most engine manufacturers will use to comply with 2010 federal diesel emission standards could emit toxic byproducts, the California Air Resources Board’s top researcher wrote in a recent letter filed in federal court by Navistar Inc.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board and its sister organization are working jointly on reviewing changes to the current U.S. Financial Accounting Standards 13 and International Accounting Standards 17 for leasing.

Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution reported a second-quarter loss of $186.2 million, or $9.58 per share, compared to income of $400,000, or 2 cents, a year ago.

Evergreen Transportation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the truckload carrier said in a statement on its Web site.

The U.S. economy’s service sector showed a downturn in activity last month, the Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday.