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Less-than-truckload carriers in the fourth quarter were hammered by sagging tonnage and fiercely competitive pricing, several of the largest publicly traded LTLs said last week.

Eight publicly traded truckload fleets weathered the fourth quarter recession by lowering costs, including fuel, and posted earnings that either topped or came close to the year-earlier period.

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region contracted in January for a fourth straight month, the National Association of Purchasing Management said Wednesday.

The House of Representatives last week approved an $819 billion package of spending and tax cuts aimed at boosting the economy, but with less spending on such projects as roads and bridges than some key legislators wanted.

U.S. retail diesel prices continued to edge down last week, as the average dipped 2.8 cents to $2.268 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.

The U.S. Senate confirmed several key cabinet posts, including Ray LaHood as secretary of transportation, but the Obama administration has yet to announce the president’s choices to lead several key transportation agencies within DOT.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has permanently exempted more than 70 commercial idle-reduction devices from the 12% federal excise tax because the devices help trucks reduce idling time.

American Trucking Associations will exhaust all legal avenues to fight employee-only concession requirements contained in the Port of Los Angeles’ clean trucks plan, ATA President Bill Graves said.

After surviving a record run-up in fuel prices during 2008, shippers and carriers now face an even bigger supply chain challenge: coping with a sharp downturn in freight volume as businesses cut back on production in response to lower sales.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has pulled back its formal proposal to require some carriers to use electronic onboard recorders, with indications the Obama administration may want to expand their use.