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WASHINGTON — American Trucking Associations Chairman Ray Kuntz asked a Senate committee Wednesday to make fundamental changes to federal surface transportation programs in order to allow the trucking industry to move freight more efficiently.

Brent Hilton, the 2008 chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, said one of the focuses of his term will be to increase membership among service dealerships that perform essential “heavy-duty” maintenance for trucking.

Federal officials and Port of Long Beach, Calif., executives were scheduled to meet privately this week to develop measures aimed at boosting local enrollment for the government’s Transportation Worker Identification program, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported Tuesday.

U.S. industrial production rose 0.3% in March, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.

Canadian factory shipments rose twice as quickly as anticipated in February on a jump in automobile production after shutdowns late last year, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in March, led by higher fuel and food prices, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The use of heavier trucks can be an effective way for the industry to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, a new study by the American Transportation Research Institute said.

American Trucking Associations and the U.S. Army Reserve signed a recruiting partnership agreement they said will provide experienced truck drivers for the military and give career opportunities to truck drivers leaving the military.