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Numerous national health and safety organizations have come together to petition and support the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulation to ban cell-phone use in commercial vehicles.

The ongoing refusal of the U.S. government to honor the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement is about to claim some new, and as yet unknown, victims.

As the use of mapping and routing software becomes more prevalent across the trucking industry, service providers and state transportation officials said fleets must be wary of the risks posed from using applications not specifically designed for trucks.

Navistar International Corp. profits fell 92.7% from a year earlier during the company’s fiscal first quarter because of continuing low levels of truck sales, but the Warrenville, Ill., manufacturer also presented plans it said eventually would boost annual revenue to $20 billion when the economy improves.

Shippers of shoes are protesting price increases of up to 50% for less-than-truckload shipments after an industry standards body changed the classification of 2 billion pairs of shoes, allowing carriers to raise rates.

GE Capital is taking over the role of lead lender to support the purchase of International trucks, as Navistar International Corp.’s in-house finance captive withdraws from the retail market to concentrate on wholesale activities to support dealers, the two companies said.

Truck availability has tightened sharply in recent weeks as steadily growing freight demand draws even with total truck capacity, which shriveled during the recession, industry experts said.

February orders for new Class 8s gained 12% from a year earlier and were 20% above an eight-year low in January, research firm FTR Associates reported last week.

The Mexican government is preparing to change the list of U.S. products that will be subjected to higher tariffs in retaliation for the continued lockout of that nation’s truck fleets, sources told Transport Topics last week.

The Transportation Department announced last week it will drop some materials, including paint and diesel fuel, from the list of substances the agency considers dangerous enough to require hazmat motor carriers to file detailed security plans.