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Trucking fleets continued to shed jobs for the 14th consecutive month in June as total U.S. unemployment rose, but experts said economic and freight indicators finally appear to be heading in the right direction.

Truck-related highway fatalities plummeted 12% in 2008 to 4,229, the lowest total since the federal government began keeping records, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The price of goods imported to the United States jumped 3.2% in June, marking the fourth straight monthly increase, the Labor Department said Friday.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in May to the lowest level in almost a decade, the Commerce Department said Friday.

In normal financial times, banks usually turn down 95% of all loan requests. During today’s difficult times, banks are just not making loans — especially to new clients. So, what should you do: Give up, or go the route that can keep your business prospering and even growing?

At a time when good news in the trucking industry is hard to come by, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration served up a generous helping of it last week when it said that truck-related highway fatalities plummeted 12% last year.

A steep and prolonged economic downturn forced many for-hire carriers to cut hauling capacity, but the stage may also be set for what one analyst called “the mother of all bull freight markets.”

YRC Worldwide said Thursday it has reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters union on cost-cutting measures.