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Every year, Bill Brooks, director of recruiting for Covenant Transport, needs to hire between 7,000 and 8,000 truck drivers just to keep the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based carrier's 3,700 tractors moving down the road. And now that business is picking up, his job is about to get even tougher.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it was considering whether to convene an industry panel to craft regulations to resolve a longstanding issue of intermodal chassis and trailer safety.

UPS, Machinists Union Reach Pact • TSA Chief Cargo Says Trailer Locks Coming • Storm Buries East Coast • Hyundai Opens U.S. Truck Division • And more ...

The Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association has elected Evelyn Skinner chairwoman.

A selection of responses to Transport Topics' question to readers: "Is this a good climate in which to raise freight rates? And if you raise them, can you make the higher rates stick?"

Many less-than-truckload carriers have installed comprehensive freight management software systems to reduce paperwork, auto-rate bills, computerize dispatch, plan routine truck maintenance and track trailers and freight.

The number of orders places with U.S. factories rose 1.5% in October, the first increase in three months, according to the Commerce Department.

The exclusive report on the front page of TT that the Department of Transportation is about to float its latest plan for reforming hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers is another reminder of the long agenda trucking faces in the new year.

Volvo Offers Cash Incentive • Covenant Secures Additional Insurance • N.J. Announces Truck Safety Plan • API Report Sends Crude Prices Down • And more ...