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Virginia House and Senate negotiators agreed to a compromise transportation plan Wednesday that would eliminate the per-gallon tax on diesel and gasoline, replacing both with wholesale taxes paid by fuel distributors, the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch reported.

Texas-based trucking companies expect to see faster sales growth at the start of 2013 but generally plan to be more conservative in their expenditures this year, according to a new study by the Texas Trucking Alliance.

The Virginia Senate has passed a transportation funding bill that would increase the 17.5-cent tax on gasoline and diesel by 5 cents to 22.5 cents, putting the senators at odds with the House and Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who want to stop taxing gasoline but keep the diesel tax.

Motor vehicle deaths in the United States increased 5% last year, the first annual increase since 2005, the National Safety Council said in a preliminary analysis it released Tuesday.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) has signed a bill that will add a dime to the state’s 14-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel and gasoline.

In the wake of two West Coast bus crashes that each killed multiple passengers within weeks of each other, federal officials have launched a crackdown on unsafe bus operations, in which officers and auditors will investigate high-risk motorcoach companies.

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

Well, at least we’re getting lip service related to fixing the nation’s ailing and neglected infrastructure network. Now, if we can just get some concrete action.

With federal highway funds dwindling, some states are proposing unprecedented fuel-tax increases, while others are considering legalized gaming and boosting sales taxes to pay for roads and bridge fixes.

WASHINGTON — Infrastructure funding was in the spotlight last week on Capitol Hill, both in President Obama’s State of the Union speech and at a congressional hearing.