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In the news this morning: FMCSA still searching for a boss; Arizona House OKs bill on truck speed limits on interstates; and Interstate trucker with stolen CDL is arrested on drug charges.

Intrastate truckers must obey the federal hours-of-service regulations for seven days before and seven days after they cross a state line, according to a ruling by Julie A. Cirillo, acting deputy director of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Although trucking will always be more about moving freight than shuffling electrons, carriers are using technologies spawned by electronic commerce to slash operating costs and boost customer service.

Efforts to get Port of Los Angeles owner-operators reclassified as employees hit a major snag last week when a three-judge panel ruled that the drivers are independent contractors, not employees.

Violators of New Jersey’s through-truck ban now face heavy fines, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R).

New federal rules would limit long-haul truck drivers to 12 hours of driving and mandate the use of electronic data recorders, according to a well-placed Transportation Department source.

The California Trucking Association and other industry trade groups have filed a lawsuit to reverse California’s decision labeling diesel particulates a toxic air contaminant.

A blast of bitter cold throughout the Northeast is being blamed for a 6.7-cents-a-gallon leap in the retail price of diesel fuel in New England, to $1.441 on Jan. 17. But the average national price, as reported by the Energy Information Administration the same day, remained at $1.307 a gallon for the second week.

Federal Express changed the name of its parent company from FDX Corp. to FedEx Corp. and will rename three of its business units, package carrier RPS Inc., expedited carrier Roberts Express and Global Logistics, to feature the FedEx brand name.