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Truck orders soared in March to the highest total in nearly five years, as carriers snapped up new equipment to renew their fleets in advance of the fall freight season, two market research reports said last week.

Third-party logistics provider Radiant Logistics, Bellevue, Wash., said it agreed to acquire DBA Distribution Services, a Somerset, N.J. air-freight forwarder, for $12 million in cash and debt.

DHL said it is taking the first step toward establishing a delivery fleet in New York City that is powered entirely by alternative fuels, in a move that it said will reduce emissions by at least 50%.

Technology and logistics company Transplace, Frisco, Texas, said it acquired SCO Logistics, a Philadelphia-based third-party logistics company, for an undisclosed sum.

While the U.S. economy continues to look better and better in many ways, there are some pretty powerful reasons for truckers to remain cautious, or at least watchful in the coming months.

Federal funding for highway projects and motor carrier safety programs will continue if the federal government shuts down after Friday, the Department of Transportation said.

UPS Inc. said its aircraft mechanics represented by the Teamsters union have ratified a new labor contract that runs through Nov. 1, 2013.

The Ontario Trucking Association said it was pleased that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation will begin reviewing whether to permit motor carriers to use longer tractors.

Initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.