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WASHINGTON — During a rare hearing focused exclusively on the commercial motor carrier industry, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee suggested his colleagues support establishing truck-only lanes to help boost freight capacity.

Transportation activity in the United States rose moderately in late February and March, with several areas of the country reporting increases in freight volumes, the Federal Reserve reported.

U.S. crude oil production is expected to fall more this year and in 2017 than had been expected, and that should lead to a slow rise in crude oil and retail diesel and gasoline prices, the Department of Energy said in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook released April 12.

Many in the trucking industry say the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed entry-level driver training rule requirement that students log at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training time could exacerbate the nation’s driver shortage.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a budget resolution agreed to by the state Senate and Assembly on April 12 that includes a fix for registration and decal fees for heavy-duty trucks.

If fleets were expecting to see lower prices for trucks, trailers and components as the cost of raw materials continued their downward trajectory, they may be waiting for some time if comments from industry executives are accurate.

Maryland-based Ramar Moving Systems hauls specialty items such as art, satellites and, once, a moon buggy.

With more regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel economy coming soon, smaller engines are one of the latest equipment trends, according to one of the cover stories in this issue of Equipment & Maintenance Update.

As they seek to expand, many carriers eye opportunities in new markets. One potential and unexplored area for U.S.-domiciled carriers could be north of the border in Canada, but carriers must consider truck spec’ing factors to make the most of those opportunities.

Not that long ago, the mindset of many fleet operators was to get as much muscle power in engines as they wanted or could afford. That often meant 15-liter engines that could deliver a whole lot of horsepower. But times have changed.