Business

An anti-fraud bill introduced in Congress would raise the freight broker surety requirement to $100,000 and mandate that motor carriers who broker freight loads obtain separate broker authority.

Sales of used Class 8 trucks fell 20.4% in May from the same month last year, while prices jumped 5% from April, because of low inventories, numerous sources said.

Orders for new trailers in May increased 30% from a year ago but slipped from an April peak, although manufacturers said the market remained strong, with total orders through May 77% ahead of 2010 and with a growing backlog of deliveries.

Navistar International Corp. spokesman Roy Wiley has concluded a 13-year run with the Warrenville, Ill., truck and engine maker and an overall career of 59 years in newspaper journalism and public relations, retiring June 30.

Despite LightSquared Subsidiary LLC promising major changes to its nascent broadband network, truckers and technology companies said they are not convinced the revamped system won’t jam Global Positioning System devices critical to freight operations.

The average price of a gallon of retail diesel in the United States declined 6.2 cents to $3.888 last week, the Department of Energy reported.

Transport Topics Online will be closed Monday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, July 5, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

The Minnesota state government shut down Friday morning, closing state highway rest areas and halting construction projects, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Construction spending declined 0.6% in May, the sixth straight monthly decrease, the Commerce Department said Friday.