Factory orders fell 1.5% in March, led by a decline in aircraft output, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Wabash National Corp. reported a higher first-quarter profit as trailer shipments increased.

U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated in April, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.

Manufacturing is making a comeback in North America, a trend that industry experts say is being driven by a re-examination of the cost of producing and shipping goods from Asia to customers in the United States and Europe — and new supply-chain realities.

In this age of distracted driving and new federal rules, fleet operators face a heightened challenge: How can they know and control what is happening in the cabs of their trucks? Ignorance could be expensive and dangerous.

Truck and auto components maker Eaton Corp.’s first-quarter profit rose 8% as its truck unit’s sales improved 10%, the company said Monday.

CHENNAI, India — Daimler AG officially opened its massive plant here on April 18, as the world’s largest commercial vehicle maker tries to push its way into what has become the fastest-growing truck and bus market in the world.

An index of manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region declined this month to its lowest level since January but continued to show expansion, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said.

CHENNAI, India — Daimler A.G. officially opened its sprawling truck manufacturing plant here Wednesday to produce vehicles for its newest brand, BharatBenz, as the company looks to gain entry into India’s domestic market, the world’s fastest growing for trucks and buses.