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Rail and intermodal traffic fell for the week ended Jan. 3 from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 7.2% in December, a 16-year high, from 6.5% in November, the Labor Department said Friday.

Oil closed the week under $41 a barrel as U.S. unemployment figures released Friday caused concern on future demand, Bloomberg reported.

Freightliner Trucks will sharply reduce truck production and work forces at two North Carolina truck plants, the Charlotte Observer reported Friday.

The U.S. retail diesel average declined 3.6 cents to $2.291 a gallon last week, the 14th consecutive drop, but analysts warned that fleets’ fuel costs are poised to start rising again.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it is concerned that emissions systems using a copper compound that engine maker Cummins Inc. will use in 2010 models could generate “likely human carcinogen” dioxins, in which case it would “likely not certify” the systems.

WASHINGTON — A national commission studying transportation infrastructure funding is set to recommend that Congress raise fuel taxes now but eventually replace them with levies based on miles traveled.

The Teamsters union said employees at YRC Worldwide Inc. have approved a landmark 10% wage cut to help reduce costs as the largest less-than-truckload carrier struggles with falling tonnage in a weak economy.

Initial jobless claims fell last week by 24,000 claims, to 467,000 for the week ended Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday.