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Owners of 2009 Class 8 trucks reported a drop in mechanical and technical problems from the previous year, including problems with engines, usually the largest source of complaints, J.D. Power and Associates said in a report.

UPS Freight and ABF Freight System, two of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers, recently announced general rate increases of 6.9% each, a move analysts said heralds an industry push to higher rates.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it wants to extend its regulatory reach over the next five years to include not only trucks and buses but also shippers, brokers and receivers.

Hair tests, which could keep more drug-abusing drivers off the road, are starting to gain favor among larger carriers though the number using them still are few and far between, experts said.

Top transportation officials of the United States and Mexico last week signed an agreement that will allow Mexican trucks to carry freight beyond border commercial trade zones, which will in turn prompt Mexico to remove $2.4 billion in retaliatory tariffs it imposed on U.S. products.

House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica outlined a six-year, $230 billion transportation reauthorization plan that would sharply cut spending levels on road-related projects.

All vehicles started paying higher toll rates on July 1 on the Indiana Toll Road, just days after Gov. Mitch Daniels celebrated the fifth anniversary of the lease he signed with a private investment consortium to operate the roadway.

The average price of retail diesel fuel dropped to its lowest level since February last week, shedding 3.8 cents a gallon to $3.85, marking the eighth decline in nine weeks, the Department of Energy reported.

House Republicans proposed a six-year, $230 billion highway-funding transportation package that is sharply lower than the level sought by the Obama administration, news services reported.

The U.S. unemployment rate rose a tenth of a point in June to 9.2%, the highest level this year, while the economy added 18,000 jobs to payrolls, the Labor Department said Friday.