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The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics has created a new Office of Motor Carrier Information to collect financial and operating statistics from trucking companies.

Eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. That is the advice from a soon-to-be-released report on “Gettin in Gear,” a federal initiative that seeks to improve the health of the nation’s truck drivers as an antidote to fatigue and drowsy-driving problems.

In the news this morning: Hours-of-service roundtable schedule released; DOT asks Congress to let them continue the rulemaking process on hours proposal; new economic data suggest interest rates will likely remain steady in the near term; and more.

In this afternoon's headlines: Professional Transportation Group signs Preferred Transportation as agent; National Semiconductor taps UPS Logistics for global distribution; General Motors and Exxon develop processor for fuel cell vehicles; Financial aid bill for cleaner burning trucks and buses making its way through California legislature; and more.

In today's technology report: Verizon talks drag on as strike continues; Warehouses unplugged to cut costs and boost accuracy; Patent received on wireless property tracking; Eastman's ShipChem.com strategy explored; and Major retailers back B2B protocol

Disaster struck John Miller the last week in June. The St. Louis-based owner-operator leased to PBX Inc. collapsed after pulling his trailer up to a loading dock in Raleigh, N.C. Fellow drivers helped him back into the cab of his truck and called 911.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to open informal discussions on its proposed reforms in the truck driver hours of service in hope of resolving issues that have generated a great deal of opposition. The agency, however, is not considering a negotiated rulemaking to iron out differences.

Four national trucking companies have agreed to participate in what is believed to be the first comprehensive study into the impact of diesel exhaust emissions on the health of truck drivers.

Mexican truck and bus manufacturer Consorcio G. Grupo Dina announced a major corporate shakeup last week, inspired in part by Freightliner’s plan to purchase Western Star Truck Holdings.

Truckers and shippers last week crafted a tentative solution to a disagreement that has stalled approval of a code of ethics on treatment of truck drivers.