���ϳԹ���

Two new chassis pool options are emerging for drayage carriers that have been struggling with equipment issues since ocean lines began in 2009 to back away from providing chassis free-of-charge for moving international containers.

Tire manufacturers say that an ongoing shortage of component materials — which is expected to continue through 2012 and beyond — combined with soaring global demand and logistics costs, has driven up costs and led the makers to boost prices for commercial tires.

As Congress returns to work this week after its extended holiday vacation, members face two deadlines that, if not met, could bring transportation safety programs and construction projects to a halt.

Trucking company failures reached the second-lowest level ever during 2011’s fourth quarter, reflecting the industry’s improving financial fortunes, according to a new report.

Transport Topics Online will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, Jan. 17, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

The nation’s roads and bridges are still ailing, as Congress and the White House continue to fiddle while we await some concrete action on infrastructure funding.

Slowly but surely, trucking is emerging from recession, and trucking company leaders all over the country are anxiously watching the bottom line, determined not to falter now that the sun is finally coming out.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has unveiled a plan for the first phase of 150 new natural gas fueling stations, and said it anticipates opening 70 stations in 33 states by the end of the year.

Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies snack cakes and Wonder bread, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, less than three years after completing an earlier restructuring.

Ryder System said it has signed its first leasing agreement under its “Flex-to-Green” program, which offers companies the option to incorporate alternative fuel vehicles into their fleets.