Government

The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index rose 2.8% in June from the same month last year, DOT said Aug. 13.

A proposed reverse logistics rule would offer an exception from existing regulations for certain reverse logistics shipments by highway that will create “opportunities for reduced compliance costs among hazmat shippers and carriers, without any decrease in safety,” federal hazmat regulators said.

Business inventories rose 0.4% in June, and sales increased 0.3%, the Commerce Department reported Aug. 13.

The U.S. Postal Service ended its fiscal third-quarter with a loss of $2 billion, compared with a loss of $740 million for the same period a year earlier.

Import volume at U.S. container ports is expected to hit an all-time high in August as retailers rush to bring in holiday merchandise on concerns about West Coast longshoremen’s contract negotiations, according to the National Retail Federation.

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index increased in June after moderating slightly the prior two months, the group said.

President Barack Obama on Aug. 8 signed into law a $10.8 billion bill that keeps a federal highway account funded through May 2015.

Roadrunner Transportation Systems Inc. said it agreed to acquire the logistics company Active Aero Group from Aero's parent company, Platinum Equity for $115 million.

Here is a state-by-state list of competitors at the 2014 National Truck Driving Championships in Pittsburgh: