Logistics

The cost of retail diesel fell another 10.1 cents last week to $4.502 a gallon, the third-straight weekly decline in the national average that has cut 26.2 cents from trucking’s main fuel, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

Canadian firm Contrans Income Fund’s second-quarter income rose compared with a year ago, due largely to a big income tax charge in the previous second quarter.

The Columbia River Crossing between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., has received national priority status from the White House to expedite the project, the U.S. Department of Transportation said late Tuesday.

Logistics firm Expeditors International of Washington said its second-quarter net income rose 9% to $71.3 million, or 32 cents a share, from $65.5 million, or 30 cents, a year ago.

Transportation and third-party logistics firm C.H. Robinson Worldwide said Monday it has acquired Transera International Holdings Ltd., a project forwarding company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The national average retail price of diesel fell 11.5 cents to $4.603 a gallon last week, the largest one-week drop in nearly two years and the second consecutive weekly decline, the Department of Energy reported.

Trailer manufacturer Wabash National Corp. reported a net loss of $3.2 million, or 11 cents a share, for the second quarter of 2008, down from earnings of $5.9 million, or 18 cents, a year ago.

Sharply higher rail rates for carrying hazardous materials known as toxic inhalants have led some shippers to shift to trucks, said John Conley, president of the National Tank Truck Carriers.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year labor contract that will cover more than 25,000 workers at 29 West Coast ports, the groups said Tuesday in a joint statement.