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The transportation industry is in a dangerous place, one where even well-known industry players such as Jevic Transportation, which closed its doors in May, and Jim Palmer Trucking, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, can go under — taking their employees with them.

Dennis Shirar, a driver with Indianapolis-based Heritage Transport who has driven 3 million accident-free miles, was named the 2008 National Truck Driving Grand Champion, American Trucking Associations said.

Freightliner Trucks, part of Daimler Trucks North America, said it will offer Meritor WABCO’s new automatic forward-collision warning and braking system on its models Cascadia and Century Class S/T tractors.

The annual National Truck Driver Association Week began Sunday and will run through Saturday, American Trucking Associations said.

American Trucking Associations said it supports a bipartisan comprehensive energy bill that calls for domestic oil drilling, tax incentives and alternative energy research to lower the price of fuel.

The U.S. retail diesel average fell another 14.6 cents to $4.207 a gallon last week, extending the most pronounced drop in two years to a fifth consecutive week, the Department of Energy reported.

The Teamsters union, which represents 9,500 employees of bankrupt Interstate Bakeries Corp., said hopes for the company’s successful emergence from bankruptcy were dimming, the Kansas City Star reported.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the Bush administration’s plan to encourage more local and private involvement in transportation funding hinges on support from business leaders and state officials, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.