���ϳԹ���

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Competitive pricing and reliable service remain in the forefront as shippers optimize their supply chains, executives with three large retail firms said.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The future of federal transportation policy is a major question as the Republican Party prepares to take control of the House of Representatives, the National Industrial Transportation League’s president said.

A Michigan state senator said he will call for a vote before the legislative session ends in December on whether the state should move ahead with plans to build a new, publicly owned toll bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

WASHINGTON — Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), the outgoing chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the failure to pass a new highway spending bill was perhaps his greatest regret in his nearly half-century working on transportation policy.

Safety and security remain a top concern for fleets crossing both the northern and southern borders, and motor carriers — including Celadon Group Inc. and Trimac Transportation Services Inc., Calgary, Alberta — are turning to the latest technology, electronic transmissions and voluntary government programs to streamline crossings and protect their freight.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said last week that it was making several changes to its CSA safety monitoring system that industry officials said would shield the industry from misleading interpretations.

Broad-based growth in heavy-duty truck sales slowed in October, as Volvo and Daimler’s two brands grew by more than 40% each, but the four other major nameplates all slipped below their low October 2009 totals.

The average cost of a gallon of diesel in the United States jumped to a two-year high last week after prices climbed 6.8 cents to $3.184 in the Department of Energy’s survey of retail filling stations.

The outgoing chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has urged Congress to approve a one-year extension of current highway legislation so the new Congress that convenes in January will have time to “come to agreement on a funding mechanism for a six-year bill.”

A new Environmental Protection Agency showed an improvement in fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions for new cars and light-duty trucks in 2009.