Business

In questions of safety, heavier trucks are not the answer.

At long last, we report this week that American Trucking Associations’ freight index actually rose, as tonnage carried by fleets in December was 6.6% greater than what was moved in the same month of 2008.

DALLAS — Carrier officials and drivers told federal regulators that the hours-of-service rules work well, but could be improved by allowing more flexibility in the use of truck sleeper berths.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week issued an order immediately forbidding commercial drivers from texting on handheld mobile devices and instituting steep fines for violators.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Bose Corp., the acoustics company best known for its high-end audio equipment and noise-canceling headphones, last week unveiled a sophisticated heavy-duty truck seat designed to ease the wear and tear on drivers.

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to pass legislation to create jobs through infrastructure spending and tax cuts, but his proposed freeze in nondefense spending starting in 2011 could complicate the passage of a new highway bill, observers said last week.

Although the overall credit market appears to be returning to some semblance of normalcy, trucking executives said they still face higher borrowing costs as many commercial banks remain cautious about lending and uncertainty persists about the U.S. economic recovery.

I.D. Systems Inc., Hackensack, N.J., paid $15 million in cash to purchase General Electric Co.’s trailer-tracking business, Asset Intelligence LLC, the companies announced.

Within hours of the devastating Haitian earthquake, the president of TEC Equipment Inc., a chain of West Coast truck dealerships, received an e-mail from an employee asking, “What are we doing about Haiti?”

Trucking company failures accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2009 and will continue to rise this year as fleets in the worst financial shape run out of cash and creditors run out of patience with them, a new Avondale Partners report said.