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Total vehicle-miles traveled on U.S. highways increased 2% in June to 256.7 billion miles compared with June 2008, the second year-over-year increase in the past three months, the Federal Highway Administration reported.

An organization of truckers, shippers and ocean carriers said it is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a voluntary SmartWay certification process for port drayage operators.

U.S diesel prices continued their summer-long climb last week, inching up 0.6 cent to $2.674 a gallon, according to the Department of Energy retail fuel survey.

Some key manufacturing indicators showed gains last week, a sign the economy is shifting from recession to expansion, several economists said. However, they warned that the turnaround is uneven, which makes business statistics confusing and trends difficult to track clearly.

Registration fees that trucking companies and freight brokers must pay will more than double to as much as $83,000 in 2010 under a plan put forward by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week.

Net orders for new commercial trailers in July increased 16% from a year ago and were up 4% from the previous month, according to ACT Research Co.

Daimler Trucks North America said it will add a $9,000 surcharge to its 2010 trucks for customers who select independent manufacturer Cummins Inc.’s 2010 heavy-duty engine.

The economy’s service sector showed improved activity in August, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.

Initial jobless claims declined 4,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.