Safety

DALLAS — Carrier officials and drivers told federal regulators that the hours-of-service rules work well, but could be improved by allowing more flexibility in the use of truck sleeper berths.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week issued an order immediately forbidding commercial drivers from texting on handheld mobile devices and instituting steep fines for violators.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Bose Corp., the acoustics company best known for its high-end audio equipment and noise-canceling headphones, last week unveiled a sophisticated heavy-duty truck seat designed to ease the wear and tear on drivers.

I.D. Systems Inc., Hackensack, N.J., paid $15 million in cash to purchase General Electric Co.’s trailer-tracking business, Asset Intelligence LLC, the companies announced.

Within hours of the devastating Haitian earthquake, the president of TEC Equipment Inc., a chain of West Coast truck dealerships, received an e-mail from an employee asking, “What are we doing about Haiti?”

Truck tonnage rose in December for the first time in 15 months, year-over-year, as the U.S. economy picked up steam, American Trucking Associations reported.

U.S. factory shipments of commercial trailers plunged 44% in 2009 from the previous year to 80,415 units, the lowest total since 1975, as dry van shipments fell to the lowest level since 1961, ACT Research Co. reported.

U.S. intermodal rail traffic rose 2.9% last week compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads said.

The decline in surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico slowed in November from a year ago compared with October figures, the Department of Transportation said Thursday.