Business

Gainey Corp.’s future owner is expected to be decided this week, following a three-way contest for the bankrupt carrier, CEO Harvey Gainey said.

The trucking industry shed 7,500 more jobs in October, more than double the 3,600 lost in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Politicians’ fixations on issues such as health care are deflecting attention from crucial restoration of the transportation infrastructure and impairing the ability of American businesses to cope with the recession and revive the freight industry, three industry leaders said during a recent roundtable discussion.

A House subcommittee was scheduled to hear testimony at a Nov. 16 field hearing in Baltimore on a controversial House bill that would prohibit the transportation of flammable liquids in unprotected product piping both on existing and on newly manufactured cargo tank trucks.

The Senate has unanimously confirmed Anne Ferro, the former head of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, to direct the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

American Trucking Associations has requested a meeting with Department of Transportation officials to discuss the agency’s intention to revise federal driver work rules issued during the Bush administration.

North American Class 8 truck orders shot up sharply in October to about 22,000 vehicles, double the previous month’s total and more than twice the year-ago total, according to data from two research firms.

LAS VEGAS — Daimler Trucks North America moved to publicly strengthen its commitment to its small Western Star brand, hosting gatherings of dealers and industry media here last week.

U.S. retail diesel and gasoline price averages reversed a monthlong string of increases last week, as diesel dipped 0.7 cent to $2.801 a gallon and gas declined 2.8 cents to $2.666, the Department of Energy reported.

FedEx Trade Networks said that it has opened seven new freight forwarding offices in Asia and Europe.