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Original equipment manufacturers Daimler AG and Cummins Inc. reported more success in North American truck markets during the year’s first quarter, compensating for problems in other parts of the world.

Truck fleet failures continued to decline early this year, despite high diesel prices that stubbornly remained above $4 per gallon, according to a new report.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Examining whether creating a better crash-accountability process would be worth the cost to taxpayers will be part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s study of ways to assess and assign fault in truck-related crashes, FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said in an interview.

With the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration moving closer to announcing a proposed rulemaking focusing on preventing truck rollovers, fleets increasingly are choosing to install anti-rollover systems on their tractors and trailers, according to industry experts.

YRC Worldwide Inc. and Arkansas Best Corp.’s less-than-truckload unit reported losses in the first quarter, although three other major carriers reported marked improvement during the period.

Retail diesel prices retreated for the third consecutive week, dipping 1.2 cents to put the national average at $4.073 a gallon, the U.S. Department of Energy reported.

Truck producers received 17,200 new orders in April for Class 8 vehicles, a 55% drop from 38,094 in April 2011, ACT Research Co. reported.

The April unemployment rate fell to a three-year low 8.1% and the trucking industry gained 1,800 jobs, the Labor Department said Friday.

Xata Corp. reported a fiscal second quarter loss of $2.1 million, or 20 cents per share, compared to a loss of $800,000, or seven cents, a year ago.