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American Trucking Associations said it has reached agreement on a three-year contract extension with Bill Graves, which will keep him president of the federation through 2014.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — One of the most effective ways for motor carriers to have more effect on the federal rulemaking process is to collaborate with agencies on research that yields valuable data, officials said.

Mexico-based Transportes Olympic sent the first Mexican truck into the United States in more than two years this month as part of the cross-border trucking agreement between the countries, kicking off the three-year test of Mexican carriers.

As federal regulators worked behind closed doors late last week to meet a court deadline for posting a final hours-of-service rule, trucking industry stakeholders and members of Congress stepped up the level of public debate.

As winter approaches — and with some parts of the country already being subjected to an early taste of seasonal traffic problems — carrier executives and drivers have said experienced people behind the wheels of the tractor-trailers are the best defense against the hazards caused by the weather.

September orders for new trailers jumped 31% from a year earlier, following a summer slowdown, and trailer manufacturers said their production backlog combined with ongoing intake strength would keep factories busy well into next year.

Truck tonnage climbed 5.9% in September, according to American Trucking Associations’ well-watched index, a result that should allay fears of another recession.

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

Several major oil companies cited higher crude prices in reporting higher third-quarter profits.

Universal Truckload Services said its third-quarter profit increased on higher truckload revenue.