Government

The Government Accountability Office is preparing a report on motor carriers that have their operating authority revoked only to come back with a different name to apply for authority again.

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The U.S. economy rose at a 1.8% annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday, matching an earlier estimate.

U.S. cars and light trucks will be required to carry labels comparing estimated five-year fuel costs with those of the average new vehicle, the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

American Trucking Associations told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that while it supports the agency’s proposal to require electronic devices to record drivers’ hours of service, it also is urging FMCSA to address important device design and performance requirements.

The Maryland Transportation Authority will consider toll increases at its June 2 meeting that could double rates by 2013 for trucks on seven of the state’s eight tolled facilities.

A proposal to outsource regulatory requirements for the manufacture and maintenance of cargo tanks to a pair of professional organizations would impose a costly financial burden on the cargo tank industry, several industry commenters told federal regulators.

More than 400 contractors, materials suppliers and engineers are expected to rally in Washington Wednesday and to lobby Congress for a new highway bill to replace the one that originally expired in September 2009.

Freight capacity remains generally tight and demand strong ahead of the summer shipping season, ac-ording to several carrier executives and analysts.

Although the U.S. economy continues to improve, there remains a spottiness within the freight-hauling sector, a logistics executive said.