The Transportation Security Administration has denied a petition by American Trucking Associations that sought to delay the agency’s plan to fingerprint drivers of hazardous materials, and that all states be required to use a single TSA-chosen contractor.

WASHINGTON — Tim Lynch, president of the Motor Freight Carriers Association, said any changes to the current hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers could hurt both the trucking industry and the overall U.S. economy.

WASHINGTON — Roger Nober, chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, told trucking industry executives that freight railroads are having difficulty meeting the increased demand for rail service because they have very little excess capacity.

American Trucking Associations sharply criticized a proposal to impose tolls on Virginia’s section of Interstate 81, in written testimony submitted to the state’s Senate Transportation Committee.

A federal requirement for fingerprint-based background checks on truck drivers seeking permission to haul hazardous materials went into effect last week to mixed reviews from government and industry officials.

As soon as the 109th Congress was gaveled into session last month, interest groups and lobbyists cranked up their operations for the new year as well. They hoped to exert some influence on several items on their agendas — including a new multiyear highway bill, a settled version of hours of service for drivers and improvements in homeland security regulations.

Leaders in both the House and Senate said they were ready to begin work on a new multiyear highway funding bill that would closely resemble the measure Congress was unable to approve last year. That measure failed largely because lawmakers wanted to spend more money than President Bush would approve.

Trucking industry officials said they were digging in to fight tolls being used to increase funding for highway construction. Many also said fuel-tax funds already collected should be spent in better ways and some even said fuel-tax hikes would be preferable to more tolls.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reproposed its driver hours-of-service rules, making no changes to the regulations a federal court had overturned, but adding several pages of references to how the rules would enhance driver health.

Drivers seeking a hazardous materials endorsement would pay $94 for background checks in the 34 states using the Transportation Security Administration’s designated contractor, the agency said last week.