Safety

A chain-reaction crash on Interstate 5 that left three people dead was apparently caused when a trucker lost control emerging from the tunnel, and some truckers cited concerns with the tunnel’s configuration, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

A federal judge ruled Monday that FedEx Corp.’s independent drivers can sue as a group for benefits sought in a lawsuit filed by workers claiming they should be paid as full-time employees, Bloomberg reported.

ATA President Bill Graves said Friday that he expects a court’s 90-day stay will give federal regulators enough time to issue an interim final rule maintaining an 11-hour limit for truck drivers’ hours of service, the Associated Press reported.

UPS Inc. employees represented by the Teamsters union will get a pay increase of $4 an hour and additional benefits worth $5 an hour under a new five-year contract, Bloomberg reported.

Vermont leaders expressed dismay at an effort by the Bush administration to oppose new state rules designed to reduce vehicle carbon emissions, amid growing concern the rules will be rejected by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Associated Press reported.

California officials reopened southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Los Angeles early Monday after a 31-vehicle pileup over the weekend killed three and closed a freeway tunnel, USA Today reported.

Daimler AG marked the end of its nine-year marriage to Chrysler, dropping the U.S. automaker from its corporate name and renaming Freightliner LLC, its U.S. truck-building subsidiary, Daimler Trucks North America LLC.

Chrysler LLC and the United Auto Workers union ended a brief strike after agreeing on a contract similar to one signed recently between the UAW and General Motors Corp., Bloomberg reported.

Forward Air Corp., a contractor to the air cargo industry, said late Wednesday it expects to earn 35 cents 37 cents for the third quarter, down from a year ago.