Safety

First-quarter U.S. worker productivity rose 2.6% from the previous quarter, up from an earlier estimate, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Just days after a new report recommended improvements to drug-testing programs that could better identify illegal drug users and keep them off the road, Reps. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), John Mica (R-Fla.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) announced their intention to introduce legislation aimed at establishing a national clearinghouse of positive drug-test results.

The Ontario Trucking Association said that a joint meeting this week of the Ontario and Quebec government cabinets moved them closer to accord on trucking issues such as implementing speed limiter legislation and allowing for longer combination vehicles.

General Motors Corp. is closing four North American truck and sport utility vehicle plants, in light of high fuel prices that are pushing consumers to smaller vehicles, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

U.S. manufacturing levels improved in May but continued to show contraction, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.

Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises said its Xpress Global Systems subsidiary finalized its purchase of Pinner Transportation. Terms were not released.

Iteris Inc., which makes lane-departure warning systems for the trucking industry, reported its fiscal fourth-quarter profit improved from a year ago.

U.S. truck tonnage rose 2% in April from a year ago, the sixth straight increase in monthly volumes, according to a preliminary report from American Trucking Associations.

Diesel continued to soar last week, jumping 22.6 cents to put the national average retail price at an unprecedented $4.723 a gallon, according to the Department of Energy.