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In what may be a precursor of a congressional debate next year over trucking productivity, four western governors are asking for formal hearings on giving states flexibility to increase the size and weight of trucks on federal highways.

The Clinton Administration signed the Kyoto global-warming accord Thursday, hoping to spur further progress on details of the pact in negotiations under way in Argentina.

More than 2,600 shippers, carrier executives, transportation specialists and others were set to converge in San Diego this week at the 91st annual meeting of the largest shippers’ organization in the U.S., the National Industrial Transportation League.

Driver fatigue was spotlighted as the No. 1 safety issue in trucking as a result of the 1995 Truck and Bus Safety Summit that was held in Kansas City. To be held in Atlanta Dec. 6-10, the next national meeting will continue the dialogue among “the best highway safety minds” in the U.S. and North America, said the federal Office of Motor Carriers.

American Trucking Associations recruited a senior executive of the Association of American Railroads to be its new senior vice president and chief financial officer. AAR Executive Vice President David B. Barefoot will begin his new job in early December.

After a four-year increase, the number of tractor-trailers involved in fatal crashes in Canada fell between 1995 and 1996, according to statistics released by Transport Canada, the federal department of transportation of that country.

Continuing its aggressive expansion ahead of scheduled privatization in 2000, the state-owned German postal service, Deutsche Post, has purchased a 50% stake in the British express parcel company, Securicor.

Michael J. Hayes, director of advertising sales for Transport Topics and TT Publishing since 1994, has been promoted to vice president and associate publisher.

Federal Express said its plans to restructure operations could make the company less dependent on its 3,500 unionized pilots, who have refused to work overtime.