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U.S. factory shipments of commercial trailers plunged 44% in 2009 from the previous year to 80,415 units, the lowest total since 1975, as dry van shipments fell to the lowest level since 1961, ACT Research Co. reported.

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to pass legislation to create jobs through infrastructure spending and tax cuts, but his proposed freeze in nondefense spending starting in 2011 could complicate the passage of a new highway bill, observers said last week.

The U.S. retail diesel average price fell 3.7 cents a gallon to $2.833 last week, the largest one-week decline since July, the Department of Energy reported.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week issued an order immediately forbidding commercial drivers from texting on handheld mobile devices and instituting steep fines for violators.

A winter storm heading eastward across Tennessee into the Carolinas Friday is causing havoc on roads due to ice and snow, news services reported.

In questions of safety, heavier trucks are not the answer.

At long last, we report this week that American Trucking Associations’ freight index actually rose, as tonnage carried by fleets in December was 6.6% greater than what was moved in the same month of 2008.

The decline in surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico slowed in November from a year ago compared with October figures, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.

Kansas City Southern said Thursday it earned $32 million, 33 cents a share, in its fourth quarter, compared with $36.4 million, or 40 cents, the previous year.