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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials said they already are working on some of the more than two dozen rulemaking mandates contained in the new transportation reauthorization law signed in July.

Virginia officials submitted an application late last month to the federal government seeking formal permission to toll Interstate 95, while the trucking industry and other opponents continued to push back against it.

Although natural gas has taken some of the limelight away from hybrid drivetrains for trucks, Tier One component supplier Eaton Corp. said it is still committed to electric and hydraulic hybrids, and announced a research plan to reduce the size of hybrid batteries by up to 50%.

Officials of less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight System said they have notified the Teamsters union they want to negotiate directly on a new labor contract next year and not as part of an industry group.

The price of the service call to replace a blown truck tire on the road can run about $500, industry experts and fleet managers said, adding that the total costs can be much higher.

Orders for new trailers rose a slight 0.2% in July from a year earlier to 13,339, ACT Research reported.

The average cost of a gallon of retail diesel fuel in the United States rose 6.3 cents to $4.089 last week, the Department of Energy reported, but truckers received some positive news as Hurricane Isaac appeared to have spared oil and fuel facilities in the Gulf.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it is moving ahead with changes to its safety ratings program in December, including stepping up hazardous materials compliance and eliminating a perceived enforcement bias against flatbed carriers.

Shippers and truckers are urging officials of the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to restart contract discussions so that the just-beginning fall freight shipping season won’t be disrupted.

Trimble Navigation Ltd. said it has agreed to purchase TMW Systems Inc. for $335 million in a deal that will bring the largest transportation software provider under the same ownership as PeopleNet Communications Corp., which Trimble acquired a year ago.