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OTAY MESA, Calif. — U.S. Department of Transportation officials said they would be interested in a potential study of larger or heavier trucks, suggested recently by the chairman of the House transportation committee.

WASHINGTON — Advocacy groups and congressional leaders, citing safety concerns, questioned the Department of Transportation’s decision to allow Mexican trucks into the United States, and a key senator said she would hold a hearing on the issue.

Swedish truck maker Scania AB’s Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder may step down from his position this week, to be replaced by Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, Bloomberg reported Monday.

As the trucking industry shifts to the next generation of low-emission diesel engines, some fleet maintenance managers said they have experienced few problems with the transition, which presents maintenance adjustments for heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks alike.

Schneider National Inc., which recently received a license to operate as a domestic carrier in China, is at the leading edge of a growing Asian investment wave by U.S. fleets, joining both truckload and less-than-truckload companies that have partnerships or logistics operations there.

Surface trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico dipped 0.1% in December from the same month a year earlier, though both truck and rail numbers rose, the Department of Transportation said.

Truckload carrier Celadon Group said Wednesday that one of its subsidiaries purchased the truckload business and tractors and trailers of Warrior Xpress for about $8.3 million.

The new chairman of the pivotal House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. James Oberstar, said he would support a pilot program to test the effects that raising truck size and weight limits would have on the nation’s highways.

Transportation stocks, including airlines, trucking companies and railroads, were among the hardest hit in Tuesday’s stock market tumble, the Associated Press reported.