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U.S. Xpress Enterprises of Chattanooga, Tenn., has used some of the most promising safety technologies in its trucks to cut preventable accidents by 75%, according to Max Fuller, the company’s chief operating officer.

Striking owner-operators at the Port of Seattle agreed to suspend their walkout Aug. 31 “to let the wheels of bureaucracy get caught up with our demands,” said Bob Hasegawa of Teamsters Local 174. But the truckers reserved the right to stop work again after 30 days if no progress is made, or earlier if companies retaliate against workers who participated in the strike.

Shippers who rent or lease pallets in Florida may qualify for an exemption from the state’s sales tax. The Florida Department of Revenue said manufacturers do not pay a sales tax on the pallets they purchase and that those who lease pallets should not be unfairly singled out.

Former Saia Motor Freight Line President Jimmy Crisp is the new owner of Dixie Trucking, a Charlotte, N.C.-based less-than-truckload carrier specializing in next-day delivery of freight in the Carolinas, northern Georgia and southern Virginia.

The national average price of diesel fuel rose 0.8 cents to $1.194 per gallon on Aug. 30, marking the 12th straight week of increases.

When Congress returns from its summer recess this week, it will face a number of issues related to trucking, including legislation that would improve the safety of our nation’s highways.

In fact, more and more responsible organizations are actively promoting the No-Zone program, and communicating its messages in a genuine effort to reduce the likelihood of car-truck collisions. Why? Because they believe the program and its messages can make a difference.

When Amtrak’s City of New Orleans slammed into a steel-laden flatbed trailer rolling over a track in Bourbonnais, Ill., in March, it did more than take the lives of 11 train passengers. The crash spotlighted some of the deficiencies that undercut the commercial driver licensing system.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has only limited resources to keep tabs on the safety of every operation that involves running trucks in interstate commerce — a daunting task, considering an estimated 450,000 such entities exist. So, what do you do when you have a really big number to crunch? You drag out the computer.