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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.

The U.S. trade deficit widened in November by 9.3%, the Commerce Department said Friday.

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.

Wholesale inventories rose 0.6% in November, while sales jumped 2.2%, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Oil prices continued a downward trend Thursday, falling to near $94 a barrel just a week after broaching the $100 level for the first time, Bloomberg reported.

A 15-mile stretch of Interstate 4 in central Florida remained closed early Thursday after a 70-vehicle crash Wednesday caused by fog and smoke from a brush fire, the Associated Press reported.