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Truck tonnage rose 3.6% in January, extending a string of year-over-year growth into a fourth year and buoying optimism that steady improvement in the consumer and manufacturing sectors will continue to lift the freight industry.

U.S. diesel prices surged last week, crossing the important psychological $4-a-gallon threshold and reaching their highest level since May 16, according to the Department of Energy.

Shippers depend on trucking as the key element in meeting their transportation goals. The old slogan, “If you got it, it came by truck,” is as valid today as it was 30 years ago.

Two items in your Feb. 20 issue were striking in their relevance. The first was an article about how fleets are finally realizing that one size doesn’t fit all applications and are spec’ing equipment to match operational challenges in urban environments.

The news from the oil patch just keeps getting worse and worse. As if $4-a-gallon diesel isn’t bad enough for the trucking industry, now comes a warning from the federal government that ultra-low-sulfur diesel may soon become scarcer and even more expensive in the Northeast because of a string of refinery closings.

Canadian bulk hauler Trimac Transportation reported little change in quarterly and annual profits, even though revenue improved for both the fourth quarter and the year.

Improving North American trucks sales led parts maker Accuride Corp. to post a fourth-quarter profit but a net loss for the year, the Evansville, Ind., company said.

U.S. manufacturing activity slipped from a seven-month high in February but showed continued expansion, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.