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Once again, fuel prices are in the worrisome range, just as most of us are beginning to accept that the recession is really over and better times are ahead.

UPS Inc. said late last week it was continuing talks to buy European package carrier TNT Express, after the Dutch company rebuffed a $6.5 billion bid, sparking speculation that a higher price and other bidders, such as FedEx Corp., could emerge.

Consumer confidence rose in February, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will hear public comments at the Mid-America Trucking Show next month about the potential that drivers using electronic onboard recorders could be harassed by the carriers they drive for.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has taken careful steps to ensure its cross-border program allowing Mexican trucks complies with federal law and that the trucks and drivers in the program are safe, the agency said in court filings last week.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has sent the legislature his proposal for imposing the state’s 6% sales tax on all motor fuel purchases — a plan that based on today’s prices could add nearly $40 in taxes every time a trucker fills up.

Class 8 tractors have long been the standard for U.S. for-hire carriers, yet for certain service lines, even the most venerable of heavy-duty fleets are now buying Class 6 and 7 trucks and sometimes even smaller cargo vans.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Less-than-truckload carriers need to improve their pricing discipline and sophistication to boost profits in a market where rate-driven, third-party logistics operators are playing a growing role, LTL executives said.

An index of leading economic indicators rose in December for a third straight month, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.