Government

The U.S. trade deficit widened in November, increasing 9.7% from October, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Gasoline’s national average price jumped 14 cents in the past three weeks to $2.74 a gallon, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday.

We all have to hope that officials of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration really have their ears open when they hold their three public “listening sessions” later this month over their embattled hours-of-service rule for the nation’s truck drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it would host a series of public “listening sessions” over its intentions to modify again its often-challenged hours-of-service rule for commercial drivers.

The biodiesel industry was at a virtual standstill last week, despite an assurance by two Senate leaders they will introduce legislation “as soon as possible” to reinstate the tax credit that expired on Dec. 31.

Automated vehicle tracking is now accessible to more fleets than ever before, as providers pack the technology into small — but powerful — hardware. However, economic and regulatory concerns are keeping older systems firmly entrenched in the trucking industry.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the 1,400 former employees of Arrow Trucking, the Tulsa, Okla., flatbed carrier that shut down abruptly last month.

The average price of U.S. retail diesel rose 6.5 cents a gallon last week to $2.797, the Department of Energy reported, and additional increases may be on the way as crude oil remained above $80 a barrel.

Wholesale inventories rose 1.5% in November, the biggest gain in five years, the Commerce Department said Friday.