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A large investment firm has fired the first flare signaling trucking’s strong financial run could be in jeopardy, and warned that overcapacity is beginning to appear in the less-than-truckload sector.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. rying to balance the supply of truck capacity with the needs of the nation’s shippers is no easier task than what the Federal Reserve Board tries to do in balancing economic growth and inflation.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday its manufacturing index fell to 13.2 in January, the lowest since July 2003, from 25.4 in December.

The economy continued to expand from late November through early January, with most of the 12 Federal Reserve districts reporting an increase in consumer spending and only "modest" inflation pressures.

Leading Economic Indicators Rise 0.2% in December • Knight’s Quarterly, Yearly Profits Increase • Energy Secretary Nominee Supports Alaska Refuge Drilling • CPC Logistics Acquires Transpersonnel • And more...

Housing Starts Rose 11% in December • CNF's Chief Financial Officer to Retire • Jobless Claims Fall by 48,000 • Quality Distribution Settles Lawsuits • And more...

The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday the average retail price for diesel fuel rose 1.8 cents a gallon to $1.952.

The trucking industry paid at least $14 billion more for its fuel in 2004 than it did a year earlier, as sky-high petroleum costs took a large bite out of fleets’ and shippers’ pockets.

Prices paid by consumers declined 0.1% in December, although for all of 2004, prices rose the most in four years, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

Drivers seeking a hazardous materials endorsement would pay $94 for background checks in the 34 states using the Transportation Security Administration’s designated contractor, the agency said last week.