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Truckload carrier Werner Enterprises Inc. said Wednesday it was raising its quarterly dividend payment to 4 cents from 3.5 cents, a 14% increase.

Commercial vehicle component maker Accuride Corp., which went public April 26, reported first-quarter earnings Wednesday of $200,000 or 1 cent per share.

Covenant Transport Inc. said Wednesday its board had authorized it to repurchase up to 1.3 million shares of stock.

The Senate late Tuesday passed an amendment to the federal highway bill that would eliminate a 3-state toll pilot program created in 1998, American Trucking Associations reported on its Web site.

Industry leaders unanimously decried a proposed federal rule that would require thousands of tank trucks to be retrofitted with equipment to purge the pipes used for the unloading and loading of flammable liquids.

Traffic Congestion Worsening, Study Says • California Unveils Seat Belt Campaign • Drunken Driver Gets Life Sentence • Web Breach Might Have Been More Widespread

The U.S. trade deficit fell to $55 billion in March from an all-time high of $61 billion in February, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

U.S. freight volume has been “well ahead” of expectations in the second quarter, executives of UPS Inc. said Wednesday.

Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution Inc. reported first-quarter net earnings of $2.9 million or 15 cents per share, on record revenue of $161.1 million.

Pacer International Inc. said late Tuesday net income for its fiscal first quarter ended April 8 was $11.4 million or 30 cents per share, compared with $9.4 million or 25 cents a year earlier.