ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Consumer confidence climbed this month to the highest level in a year, the New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday.

American Trucking Associations has defended the federal government’s moves to encourage the use of electronic onboard recorders among trucking fleets in a brief filed in federal court.

Consumer confidence rose in February, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.

Once again, fuel prices are in the worrisome range, just as most of us are beginning to accept that the recession is really over and better times are ahead.

UPS Inc. said late last week it was continuing talks to buy European package carrier TNT Express, after the Dutch company rebuffed a $6.5 billion bid, sparking speculation that a higher price and other bidders, such as FedEx Corp., could emerge.

By Neil Abt, News Editor

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will hear public comments at the Mid-America Trucking Show next month about the potential that drivers using electronic onboard recorders could be harassed by the carriers they drive for.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has sent the legislature his proposal for imposing the state’s 6% sales tax on all motor fuel purchases — a plan that based on today’s prices could add nearly $40 in taxes every time a trucker fills up.

Class 8 tractors have long been the standard for U.S. for-hire carriers, yet for certain service lines, even the most venerable of heavy-duty fleets are now buying Class 6 and 7 trucks and sometimes even smaller cargo vans.