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Federal officials could reduce the number of fleets that evade enforcement penalties by gaining new operating authority if they closely compared new motor carriers’ information to old carriers that had legal issues, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Congress is considering several bills providing extensions of tax breaks for trucking, including renewal of the bonus depreciation for capital spending on items including trucks.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Friday it has ordered Reliable Transportation Services to stop operating, declaring the Utah-based trucking company an “imminent hazard to public safety.”

U.S. retail diesel prices edged up a half-cent a gallon last week, continuing a nine-week string of increases and bringing the national average to $4.147 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.

With demand for diesel exhaust fluid expected to double this year, truck stops and carriers say they are responding by installing bulk filling dispensers that will save fleets time and money.

Truck tonnage posted a solid 5.5% gain in February from a year earlier, American Trucking Associations reported, continuing a pattern of steady growth that began in late 2009 and setting the stage for further expansion.

Changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety ratings program that place additional emphasis on hazardous materials handling are apparently causing a steep spike in scores of some carriers with otherwise “exemplary” safety records, an executive with American Trucking Associations said last week.

With the House seemingly unable to agree on a new federal transportation funding program, Congress voted last week to extend existing funding levels for another 90 days, averting a shutdown of the nation’s highway safety and construction programs.

The European Commission has issued 169 million euros ($225 million) in fines against 14 companies, including three in the U.S., in connection with air freight price-fixing charges dating as far back as 2003.

Port Logistics Group and Coastal Logistics Group on Thursday announced a partnership that extends the geographic reach and service offerings for both companies.