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Arkansas Best Corp. said Monday its first-quarter loss was about half that of a year ago, citing higher tonnage and an improving freight environment.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will hold its annual Roadcheck event June 7-9, it said in a statement.

Two U.S. senators called for greater regulatory scrutiny of a proposed next-generation cellular network that, some critics contend, could interfere with or even block GPS signals.

It took years for the trucking industry to get Congress to place responsibility for intermodal freight chassis road worthiness in the correct place. In 2005, legislators specified that the providers of the equipment — and not the fleets that were using them to move freight — had to ensure that the units met all safety standards.

While all fleet managers are waging a battle with soaring diesel prices, refrigerated carriers are facing a second front in terms of collecting fuel surcharges to cover the cost of buying the red-dyed diesel that powers the engines of their reefer units.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking additional public comment on its proposed electronic onboard recorders rule to ensure motor carriers do not use the technology to violate the privacy of truck drivers.

Several tank-truck operators said freight volumes are increasing and rates are moving higher thanks to the combination of that higher level of demand and lower capacity on the carrier side.

Sharply higher fuel prices put a significant dent in first-quarter earnings for truckload fleets, but seven of the eight companies that have reported thus far still managed to top year-earlier results.