Business

December U.S. manufacturing activity rose to the highest level since June, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.

Construction spending rose 1.2% in November, the third increase in four months, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

A new Oregon law that restricts truck idling took effect Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Truck components maker Meritor Inc. said Monday it sold the assets of its axle manufacturing operation in Saint Priest, France, to Renault Trucks SAS. Terms were not disclosed.

I have attended several meetings of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council where participants have stated they simply want to know how many years a component will last.

There is reasonable cause for people in trucking to be optimistic in 2012. It looks like the economy’s recovery from the long and deep recession is gaining strength, so trucking can look forward to increasing demand.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!” We have all heard this saying at some point in our lives. I was reminded of it recently, when I was researching the 2012 year-end W2 and 1099 reporting requirements.

Federal regulators retained the 11-hour driving limit for truck drivers, reversing their stated preference for 10 hours and rejecting arguments from labor and safety advocates that a change would reduce crash risk.

Even as expectations for the nation’s economic growth remain subdued, trucking may be on the cusp of one of its most profitable rides ever as freight demand in 2012 pushes against the limits of industry capacity, according to industry experts.