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A federal appeals court granted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration an extension on its proposal for hours-of-service documents until Jan. 31.

Initial jobless claims fell last week to the lowest level in almost two and half years, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Driver turnover is expected to rise this year after remaining near record lows for much of 2010, as the economy strengthens and new federal safety initiatives are implemented, a trucking official said.

Truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp. said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell to $39 million from $86 million last year, as costs related to engine development and a new labor contract with United Auto Workers chipped away at results.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed fines up to $2,750 for truckers who use a handheld cell phone while driving, as well as the possible suspension or revocation of a commercial license for repeated offenses.

Fueled by growth in dry vans, net trailer orders in the United States reached a two-year high in November of 21,314 units, ACT Research reported.

Philadelphia has knocked New York City from the top spot on the American Tort Reform Association’s list of the worst places to be a defendant in a lawsuit.

California environmental regulators have approved amendments aimed at easing the financial burden facing truckers in order to comply with the state’s greenhouse gas emissions regulations.

The speed limit for all vehicles traveling on the Ohio Turnpike will rise to 70 mph from 65 mph on April 1, a change that the state’s trucking industry opposes.

The new year for trucking companies picks up right where 2010 left off, with optimism about an improving economy but also plenty of unknowns about which to worry.