Business

LAS VEGAS — Truckload carrier executives and industry observers here said almost uniformly there has been a slight rebound in freight demand in recent weeks, but they were unsure whether a significant pickup would occur in the second half of the year.

Driver turnover at large truckload carriers dropped 13% last year — the first decline since 2001 — while it rose by an identical percentage at smaller truckload carriers, according to American Trucking Associations.

The trucking industry is willing to pay higher fuel taxes as long as the money is spent to improve the highway infrastructure, American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With sales of heavy trucks expected to drop sharply from last year, OEMs and suppliers at the Mid-America Trucking Show shifted tactics, emphasizing new features and markets in an effort to keep customers interested.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The head of truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp. said its 2007 models are more fuel efficient and perform better than 2006 models, in addition to being cleaner burning.

Garner Transportation Group co-founder and former American Trucking Associations Chairman Vernon Eugene Garner died Tuesday, following a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 69.

Rail intermodal traffic fell 7% last week and carload traffic dipped 1.1% compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.

Panther Expedited Services said Wednesday it acquired Integres Global Logistics, a technology-based freight forwarding and logistics company. Terms were not disclosed.

An index of leading economic indicators fell last month by the most in more than a year, the New York-based Conference Board reported Thursday.