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Heavy-duty component supplier Dana Corp. said Wednesday it was cutting its profit forecast for the first quarter because of rising steel prices and falling auto production.

By Dave Melton and Peter Van Dyne

Reports by the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Petroleum Institute both showed increases in the amount of crude oil the U.S. had on hand, but both groups said the country’s supplies of diesel and gasoline fell in the past week.

Governmental mandates may be needed to ensure protection of hazardous materials shipments, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in the agency's final version of its report on technologies to protect hazmat shipments.

Union Pacific, Texas Strike Rail Deal • Survey: Rural Areas Feel Unprepared for Attacks • Patriot Act Opponents Push for Changes

The Surface Transportation Board, responding to a petition filed by CSX Transportation, declared the District of Columbia's partial ban on hazardous materials shipments through the city was pre-empted by federal law.

Electronic devices aimed at preventing a Class 8 truck from being hijacked were unveiled by International Truck and Engine Corp. on March 16.

The prices paid by U.S. consumers last month frost 0.4%, the largest increase in fourth months as the cost of gasoline and airfare spiked, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

The Cronos Group, a lessor of intermodal freight containers, said Tuesday it had net income of 51 cents per share or $3.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2004, up from the 30 cents per share or $2.4 million it earned in the same period the previous year.

The sales of existing homes fell by 0.4% in February to an annual rate of 6.79 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.