Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region improved this month, the National Association of Purchasing Management said Friday.

Regarding your op-ed, “Dealing with California’s Reefer Rules," American Trucking Associations commends the efforts of the California Air Resources Board to conduct national outreach for the first time on its state regulation that will affect the nation’s refrigerated carriers.

President Bush defended the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to reject California’s plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, saying that a national strategy toward climate change is more effective than a state-by-state approach, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bill Pugh, executive director and general counsel of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, resigned the post he has held for the past six years, NMFTA said.

Union Pacific Corp. cut its earnings forecast for the fourth quarter, citing higher diesel fuel costs and a delay in recovering its fuel surcharges.

The Canadian province of Ontario has issued 15,000 new high-tech driver licenses to help combat identity theft, the Associated Press reported.

Statistics Canada said an estimated 3,579 for-hire trucking companies in that country had annual revenues of at least C$1 million in the first quarter of 2007.

American Trucking Associations and Con-way Freight have teamed up to launch a national public service announcement safe-driving campaign for the holiday season.