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Oil prices fell near $77 Wednesday after a report showed that crude supplies jumped last week, the Associated Press reported.

The exodus of drivers during the economic downturn is creating a driver shortage as the economy begins to recover. Add to this escalating costs for carriers complying with new federal regulations for tractors, trailers and communications and you have a recipe for reduced capacity and higher prices.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood rejected raising fuel taxes to pay for highway improvements and said that, despite pessimism about the prospects for a long-term highway bill, the administration was focused on completing a bill this year.

Twenty-five percent of the nation’s 603,000 bridges are structurally deficient in some way, but the federal government lacks the analytic and procedural tools to determine what impact federal bridge money would have in addressing the problem, a Government Accountability Office report said.

P.A.M. Transportation Services reported a profit of $1.3 million in the second quarter, compared with a $2.4 million loss a year ago.

In a plea to the Pennsylvania State Legislature to hold a special session on transportation funding, Gov. Edward Rendell (D) recently told members of the Senate Transportation Committee that, collectively in their 13 districts, they have 1,970 structurally deficient bridges.

Florida and Louisiana are among six states this year to pass anti-indemnification laws that prohibit contractors from shifting insurance liabilities onto truckers.

As of this month, under a new Georgia law carriers in that state can no longer be forced to accept unwarranted insurance liability in order to get a special permit.

Kansas City Southern said it earned $34.6 million, or 34 cents a share, in its second quarter, compared with $6.5 million, or 7 cents, the previous year.

Consumer confidence declined this month to its lowest level in five months, the New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday.