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Penske Automotive Group said it will buy an Australian truck distributor that sells a variety of truck brands for $200 million.

Several of the country’s largest publicly traded truckload carriers reported a mixture of modest profit declines and some gains for the second quarter, with most citing a soft freight market.

Heavy-duty truck makers reported lower second-quarter profits and revenue, compared with a year ago, as the U.S. economy gradually improves.

Universal Truckload Services’ second-quarter operating income rose from a year ago.

USA Truck said its second-quarter loss narrowed from a year ago.

Truck makers sold 15,929 Class 8 vehicles in the United States in June, the highest total so far in 2013, but also the 10th consecutive year-over-year decline, WardsAuto.com reported.

Truck manufacturers received 18,900 net orders for Class 8 trucks in June, the lowest monthly total so far this year but still 13% above the year-ago level, ACT Research reported.

The trucking industry is one of the most innovative and dynamic sectors in our country, and its companies and professionals have been leaders for change in many areas.

We’ve all suffered through computer downtime, usually at the worst possible moment. That was certainly the case with a number of freight carriers that experienced it during the hurricane that intensified to become Superstorm Sandy.