Government

Manufacturing levels in the Philadelphia region showed contraction for a fourth consecutive month in March, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said.

Widespread flooding primarily in the Midwest threatened to worsen Friday, with many rivers rising past their banks for more than a day, the Associated Press reported.

State officials closed a bridge over the Mississippi River northwest of the Twin Cities area in Minnesota because of problems found in the same kind of steel plates that may have played a key role in last summer’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Crude oil fell below $100 a barrel in Thursday before rising back to close the trading day above $101, the lowest closing price in more than two weeks, Bloomberg reported.

An index of leading economic indicators fell 0.3% in February, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.

YRC Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Bill Zollars said the company’s first-quarter earnings will likely be lower than expected, the Associated Press reported.

The Opinion column by John Hausladen, “Be Ready to Explain Your SAFER Scores,” is an excellent reminder to fleets about how important the Safety and Fitness Electronic Record System score is — and, how it can be misinterpreted by those uninformed about the industry.

A recent Transportation Department report said work on several key new regulations has fallen behind schedule, including shorter stopping distance for heavy trucks, safety reviews of new trucking companies, medical certification of drivers and a new registration system.

Forward Air Corp. said Tuesday it closed a deal, first announced last week, to buy transportation firm Pinch Holdings and a related company, AFTCO Enterprises, for an undisclosed sum.