Safety

WASHINGTON — Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), a key transportation legislator and a longtime opponent of increasing truck sizes and weights, told Transport Topics he would now support a pilot study of larger vehicles on U.S. highways.

Trucking executives said efforts to ban the use of cellular phones from the nation’s highways would receive industry support as long as state laws do not also ban two-way radios and satellite communication devices.

On Oct. 20, American Trucking Associations, in conjunction with “Road Safe America,” a group of nine trucking companies, submitted a petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

FedEx Corp. said Tuesday it has set new measures aimed at modernizing the retirement plans for most of its employees, including enhancing its 401(k) plans.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index fell 3.6% in January following an increase in December, ATA said Tuesday.

Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution’s fourth-quarter profit was $6.2 million or 31 cents a share, compared with $6.2 million or 32 cents for the previous fourth quarter.

Union Pacific Railroad has laid off 124 people and cut back hours for 455 more because of lower freight demand, the Associated Press reported, and a market analysis firm Monday lowered its market outlook for the rail sector.

Canadian transportation firm TransForce Income Fund said Monday it earned C$55.1 million or 64 cents a share in the fourth quarter, up from C$35.9 million or 47 cents a year earlier.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — An official with the Chicago Climate Exchange said the demand for cleaner engines and alternative fuels in the United States will increase as membership in its cap-and-trade emission trading system expands.

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