Business

Many trucking fleets are continuing to buy automatic and automated manual transmissions during the recession, despite a premium of $4,000 to $8,000 over traditional standard manual transmissions, industry executives and manufacturers have said.

WASHINGTON — The first vice chairwoman of American Trucking Associations joined a pair of Republican senators to decry the climate legislation being debated in Congress, saying it will amount to a huge tax increase on fuel.

Arkansas Best Corp. announced Robert Davidson, its president and chief executive officer, would retire Dec. 31 and that Judy McReynolds, currently its chief financial officer, would succeed him, becoming the only woman running a publicly traded trucking company.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should identify commercial truck and bus drivers who are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, and require drivers diagnosed with the condition to prove they are being treated, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended last week.

Lower profits at its key U.S. domestic package unit slashed UPS Inc.’s third-quarter earnings by 43% to $549 million, but the company said signs of an economic recovery should bring better results in the months ahead.

WASHINGTON — When the economy recovers and freight traffic begins to grow again, the nation needs to turn its attention to broader transportation issues that address everything from funding to livability, said Victor Mendez, newly appointed Federal Highway Administrator.

BETHESDA, Md. — Law enforcement officers, government officials and trucking executives joined together to emphasize the dangers of driving aggressively around large trucks, particularly among younger motorists.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it would issue a new regulation early next year that will prohibit the transportation of flammable liquids in unprotected product piping on both existing and newly manufactured cargo tank trucks.

The Port of Long Beach and American Trucking Associations last week reached an out-of-court settlement of ATA’s federal lawsuit challenging portions of the port’s Clean Trucks Plan. The agreement will simplify the registration process for carriers moving containers at the port.

The average U.S. price of diesel jumped more than 10 cents a gallon and gasoline rose nearly as much last week, while petroleum closed above $81 a barrel on national commodities markets for the first time in more than a year.