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ATA and FMCSA last week asked a federal court to reject the latest attempt to roll back key provisions of the federal driver-hours rule, the latest step in several years of litigation that observers predicted would keep the rule in flux until after President Bush leaves office next year.

The commission charged with examining the future of the national transportation system is set to recommend a significant increase in federal fuel taxes to Congress, according to wire service reports and other sources.

YRC Worldwide’s proposed new contract with the Teamsters union raises wages by $2.20 an hour over five years, increases company pension payments, and sets up a new class of “utility employees” to perform more job duties in exchange for higher pay.

Diesel fuel prices rose again last week, gaining 3.1 cents to $3.376 a gallon in the Department of Energy’s weekly average of filling stations. DOE said average gasoline prices increased 5.6 cents to $3.109.

International Truck and Engine Corp. will open an assembly plant in Russia this month to tap demand for heavy-duty vehicles in that country, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Florida officials reopened a stretch of Interstate 4 late Thursday that had closed earlier this week following a massive traffic pileup that killed four and injured dozens, the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald newspaper reported.

FedEx Corp. Chief Executive Frederick Smith he is confident the company’s FedEx Ground unit drivers are correctly classified and that the division remains “fundamentally strong” in the face of adverse court rulings.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed would cut interest rates as needed to prevent housing and credit problems from plunging the country into a recession, the Associated Press reported.