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The Department of Justice last week approved Volvo AB’s bid to become the world’s second-largest truck maker by acquiring French truck maker Renault Vehicles Industriels — which includes Mack Trucks — if Volvo agrees to sell off part of its existing business.

Last week saw the third consecutive fall in the average price of diesel, leaving fuel 10 cents cheaper than it was at the end of November. But that may not translate into much relief for trucking companies that turn fuel savings back to shippers in the form of lower surcharges.

Companies that operate delivery trucks in metropolitan areas own one of the hottest commodities in the advertising industry — a commodity so hot that some of the country’s largest advertisers, such as McDonald’s and Frito-Lay, have jumped on the bandwagon.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans a party Jan. 3 to celebrate its first anniversary, although its critics might prefer a roast to skewer the agency for its performance.

Jim Hall has resigned as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, effective Jan. 18. NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates causes of transportation accidents and makes recommendations for corrective actions.

The nation’s largest maker of diesel engines for heavy-duty trucks is sharply cutting back production, laying off 1,000 workers and “fundamentally restructuring” its operations in response to year-end losses and continuing industry consolidation.

Overdue loans and a lack of new financing have the company that once hoped to be the communications service of choice for over-the-road truck drivers looking for a buyer.

Officials in Manitoba are considering stringent enforcement tools for repeat drugged and drunken offenders that could include forfeiture of commercial or private vehicles.

Eight days after announcing a blockbuster merger with rival M.S. Carriers of Memphis, Tenn., Phoenix-based Swift Transportation struck another deal that expands its freight-hauling business in the eastern United States.