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YRC Worldwide Inc. reported a first-quarter loss of $274.1 million, nearly the same as a year earlier, but the less-than-truckload carrier cited steady progress in reducing operational losses in the most recent period.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has broad support for its move to bar truck drivers from texting, according to public comments on the proposed rule filed with the agency.

Less-than-truckload carriers as a group posted solid volume gains and stabilized their shaky revenue environment in the first months of 2010, experts said.

After facing off in federal court in Los Angeles last month, attorneys for American Trucking Associations and the Port of Los Angeles are expected to file their final post-trial briefs this week in the contentious court dispute over parts of the port’s clean trucks program.

Navistar International Corp. announced that it has resolved its lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which had challenged EPA’s guidance to engine makers for certification of 2010 engines using selective catalytic reduction to cut emissions.

The tank truck industry faces a unique set of challenges that have led to increased regulations, self-imposed safety precautions and higher costs. Industry executives said they are adjusting by embracing new technology, providing additional driver training and re-examining their operations. 

The nation’s three largest manufacturers of commercial truck tires have raised prices for the second time this year in reaction to sharp increases in the costs of their primary components — rubber, oil and steel — although world economic developments have taken some of the air out of commodity prices.

The average retail price of U.S. diesel jumped 4.4 cents to $3.122 a gallon last week, its highest level in more than 18 months, the U.S. Department of Energy reported.

Initial jobless claims dropped by 7,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.