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The U.S. economy grew at a 2.5% annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Why is this so hard? Raising federal fuel taxes is the quickest, easiest and most efficient solution available to the U.S. government to pay for the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.

WASHINGTON — Top executives with two of the nation’s largest trucking companies urged Congress to raise the federal fuel tax in order to fund infrastructure projects that benefit freight.

A federal appeals court has upheld the U.S. government’s cross-border Mexico trucking plan, rejecting challenges brought by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Teamsters union.

Federal officials said Thursday they have shut down four Kansas trucking companies, alleging that three of them are reincarnations of the fourth and that they were created to avoid financial penalties and an out-of-service order.

A trucking executive told a House committee Wednesday that Congress needs to address the needs of the trucking industry by dedicating real funding to addressing freight transportation needs and by improving the efficiency and productivity of the industry.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is making $474 million available for a competitive grant program and is asking for applications from state and local agencies who want to use the money.

The federal government issued guidelines Tuesday to encourage automakers to limit the potential for driver distractions from electronic systems built into passenger cars, including those that connect to cellphones and the Internet.

Vermont’s Senate cut back on a planned gasoline tax increase passed by the House, but proposed raising the state’s diesel tax, the Associated Press reported.

A transportation funding proposal unveiled by Pennsylvania lawmakers last week would raise $2.5 billion by changing how the state collects transportation money, including eliminating the cap on the state’s wholesale fuel tax.