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The national average for retail diesel fuel prices fell for the fourth straight week, reaching $1.059 a gallon on June 7, down from $1.065 the week before.

It takes a lot to shake up Wall Street analysts, especially at the end of a long day of talk about the state of the nation’s railroads. American Trucking Associations President Walter B. McCormick Jr. managed to jar participants at a June 3 rail conference out of their late afternoon malaise with his call for railroads to consider allowing trucking access to their tracks — that is, let trucking companies run trains.

There were ominous sounds coming out of railroad circles in the East last week, as Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Corp. went about digesting the routes and equipment that formerly comprised Conrail — for which they paid some $10.2 billion. Depending on which morning newspaper you read, things were either going okay (Wall Street Journal, Associated Press) or things were in danger of falling apart (Washington Post).

Haulers of agricultural products gathering for their annual conference will be focused on the same issue consuming the rest of the industry -- the fate of the hours-of-service regulations.

Hours of service takes on a whole new meaning to people like Rodger Blanco and Rodney Garrison. Blanco is the owner of Ag-Mart Produce and Garrison is his maintenance and transportation supervisor. Long hours are the rule, not the exception, for both men and their equipment, said Garrison.

Twelve passengers injured in the deadly collision of an Amtrak train and a truck at a rural crossing in March are suing the driver, his trucking company and the Illinois Central Railroad.

Truckers could face some long lines at the pumps at the millennium. A government report says the oil industry has too many question marks about possible Y2K computer glitches. But an industry spokesman said the biggest concern is that customers will trigger a fuel shortage by making a run on the pumps.

Among the activities during the 30th annual Ontario National Transportation Week was the presentation of awards to several Canadians, including a posthumous honor given to a trucker who died while trying to save others.

Crouse Cartage Co. of Carroll, Iowa, said a contract was ratified by a local union representing Chicago-area mechanics following a one-day strike June 2.