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The news from the oil patch just keeps getting worse and worse. As if $4-a-gallon diesel isn’t bad enough for the trucking industry, now comes a warning from the federal government that ultra-low-sulfur diesel may soon become scarcer and even more expensive in the Northeast because of a string of refinery closings.

Truck tonnage rose 3.6% in January, extending a string of year-over-year growth into a fourth year and buoying optimism that steady improvement in the consumer and manufacturing sectors will continue to lift the freight industry.

Because storage limitations, concerns about theft and supply problems have altered the way trucking companies purchase tires, carriers, manufacturers and experts said the tool of choice for economically managing this valuable commodity is a contract that allows fleets to get what they need when they need it — at a preset price.

Three advocacy groups filed a lawsuit last month to challenge the federal hours-of-service rule published in December, seeking to overturn the rule, which they say does not go far enough to prevent fatigue among truck drivers.

North American truck makers installed 99,504 Cummins Inc. engines into new 2011 Class 8 trucks, slightly increasing the independent engine maker’s leading market share to 39.1% from 38.5% in 2010, WardsAuto.com reported.

Efforts to overcome the effect of defective brake valves supplied by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems are progressing, with Navistar Inc. reporting that all its trucks delayed for repairs have now been shipped.

YRC Worldwide Inc.’s efforts to reduce ongoing losses stalled in the fourth quarter, despite higher tonnage and higher rates as costs rose more than revenue.

Transportation advocates last week said Congress probably will have to approve another temporary extension of transportation spending legislation, as a new highway bill appeared unlikely to be passed by the time the current extension runs out March 31.

American Trucking Associations has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to narrow its definition of tank trucks to eliminate the need for many truck drivers to receive costly and unnecessary training and tank vehicle endorsements.