Business

PORTLAND, Maine — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to consider the safety effects of heavier weights on vehicle components such as axles and suspension and brake parts as part of a congressionally mandated truck size and weight study.

Trucking industry leaders will gather this week at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to discuss recent accomplishments and prepare for the challenges of the upcoming year.

Navistar International Corp. is considering possible plant closures as new CEO Lewis Campbell looks to cut costs and restore profitability at the struggling truck maker.

Cummins Inc. said it has received federal certification that its new 15-liter engine meets the coming 2014 greenhouse-gas standards, the latest sign that North America’s heavy-duty truck and engine makers are making headway in preparing for the new rule.

ATLANTA — A slowdown in global trade is forcing shippers and carriers to make adjustments in inventory and freight hauling capacity, transportation and supply chain experts said at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals annual conference here last week.

A bill Congress passed last month would open more job opportunities for veterans by allowing members of the military to obtain commercial driver licenses in the states where they’re stationed, even if they are away from home, the bill’s supporters said.

The Surface Transportation Board on Sept. 27 outlined a new process for determining whether rail freight rates charged to shippers are excessive, and the new process could increase the number of cases before the agency.

U.S. diesel and gasoline prices both declined for the second straight week, the Department of Energy said Oct. 1, as the fuels continued to back away from 11-week surges that drove up prices sharply.

Navistar International Corp. may close some of its North American plants as new CEO Lewis Campbell looks to cut costs and restore profitability at the truck and engine maker.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in September, the lowest since January 2009, from 8.1% in August as employers added 114,000 people to payrolls including 700 in the trucking industry, the Labor Department reported Friday.