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NEW YORK — Trucking fleets saddled with potential multibillion-dollar liability for underfunded union pension plans will look to Congress for a legislative remedy this year, company officials and experts said.

For 72 continuous hours covering June 2-4, law enforcement officers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico will conduct commercial vehicle inspections in the annual Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced.

Mack Trucks said it has reached a new tentative labor agreement with the United Auto Workers after more than 19 months of talks, which would cover about 1,700 employees at seven facilities in three states.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it rejected a proposal to raise Unified Carrier Registration fees for 2010.

With fuel prices dramatically lower than just a year ago, carriers that engage in hedging are questioning whether the market is close enough to a bottom to begin locking in prices, according to several fuel-purchasing analysts.

Trucking fleets and tire makers said increased use of tire-pressure monitoring systems and automatic inflation systems is saving lives and money.

The national diesel fuel average rose 1.5 cents a gallon last week, while gasoline posted a much larger 6.9-cent jump, widening the gap between the two fuels as gas stockpiles declined ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of summer driving season.

NEW YORK — A broad spectrum of truckers are reporting modest recent improvement in freight levels, but industry executives last week said it still was too early to declare a steady positive trend is emerging.

An index of leading economic indicators rose 1% last month, the biggest gain in three-and-a-half years, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.