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There was a time when foreign-based tire manufacturers had to overcome major hurdles to enter the North American market.

Trailer orders in March soared 165% over the comparable month of 2009, ACT Research Co. reported last week, as the strengthening economy and the brighter picture for the freight industry drove fleets to boost orders over dismal year-ago levels for the sixth month in a row.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week announced that fees for the Unified Carrier Registration program would nearly double, and officials familiar with the program said the fees soon may need to rise even higher to satisfy states’ need for revenue.

U.S. truck tonnage jumped 7.5% in March from year-ago levels, the fastest monthly increase in more than five years, according to American Trucking Associations.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 11,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Oshkosh Corp. said Thursday it turned a profit in its fiscal second quarter on higher military orders, compared with a big loss a year ago.

Covenant Transportation Group’s first-quarter loss narrowed from a year ago to $2.2 million, or 15 cents a share, from a loss of $5.5 million, or 39 cents, a year ago.

Canadian freight railroad Canadian Pacific’s first-quarter net income jumped 74% to C$99.8 million, or 59 cents per share, from C$57.3 million, or 36 cents, a year earlier.