ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

The global economy and transportation funding challenges will be among the main focus areas during the Transportation Research Board’s 90th annual meeting, scheduled for Jan. 23-27 in Washington, D.C.

A federal court granted an extension to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for its overdue regulation on documents truckers use to verify hours-of-service records. The regulation also will expand the mandate for the use of electronic onboard recorders.

Auctions are getting another look from truck buyers as good used equipment becomes scarce and prices are rising, according to dealers and industry watchers.

Orders for new Class 8 trucks in North America more than doubled in December from the same month in 2009 and totaled more than 25,000 units, two research organizations reported.

The Obama administration last week took the first step toward reinstituting commercial truck traffic between the United States and Mexico, although it said details would not be released for several months.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will abide by trucking industry requests and formally consider a proposed rule to require manufacturers to install devices to limit heavy trucks to 68 miles per hour, possibly as soon as 2012.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 9.4% in December, the lowest in a year and a half, the Labor Department said Friday.

UPS Inc. on Jan. 4 said it is expanding distribution facilities this year in the United States and three other countries to handle growing global demand for outsourced shipments of health-care products such as medicines and supplies.

Less-than-truckload carrier Southeastern Freight Lines, Lexington, S.C., opened a new logistics division Jan. 4 to provide shippers with services in dry van, refrigerated and flatbed truckload, expedited delivery, intermodal drayage, brokerage, air freight and distribution.