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In its second request in a week for closely held federal research, American Trucking Associations is asking federal regulators to publicly release a five-year-old study that contains data explaining how regulators weight violations that it used to compute Compliance, Safety, Accountability program safety scores for drivers and carriers.

Driver turnover at small truckload fleets rose sharply in the first quarter to 71% from 55% in the fourth quarter of 2011, the largest quarter-to-quarter increase in seven years, propelled by financial pressures and other factors, American Trucking Associations reported.

A federal appeals court overturned a stopgap Environmental Protection Agency regulation that allowed Navistar Inc. to pay fines to sell heavy-duty diesel engines that do not meet 2010 emissions standards.

The failure of Congress to pass legislation to provide funding to improve and expand the nation’s highway system has left many roads covered with cracks, potholes and uneven pavement, which are creating additional challenges for some vehicle suspension makers, according to company officials.

FedEx Freight levied a 6.9% rate increase, prompting other less-than-truckload carriers to signal similar moves as they try to capitalize on a strong rate environment.

Retail diesel prices dropped for the ninth week in a row, and analysts said they could fall even more as the national average declined 6.5 cents to $3.781 a gallon last week, the Energy Department reported.

Michigan and Canada have agreed to build a second bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Industrial production dipped 0.1% in May in the second decline in three months, the Federal Reserve said Friday.

Consumer confidence dropped in June to the lowest level this year, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.