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ATLANTA — Several states are planning or have approved motor carrier safety and environmental measures because federal regulators have failed to enforce their own regulations, a prominent transportation lawyer said in an update on regulatory and legislative matters at SMC3’s recent winter conference here.

PHH Arval announced a strategic partnership Monday with the Center for Transportation Safety, a leading provider of risk management and training solutions for drivers, to enhance fleet safety.

The economy’s service sector contracted in January, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.

Karmak Inc., a software supplier for the trucking industry, said it has released a major update of its Legend business management system, designed solely for the heavy-duty trucking industry.

Truck buyers for some of the nation’s largest fleets are already contemplating their choices for the January 2010 generation of heavy-duty truck engines. Their challenge is matching the original equipment manufacturers they like with one of the two main technologies upon which the OEMs will rely.

December truck tonnage increased by 1.4% from year-ago levels, the first back-to-back improvement in freight volume since May and June 2006, American Trucking Associations reported in its national index.

WASHINGTON — The Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a speech to American Trucking Associations’ winter meeting here, delivered a scathing criticism of the Bush administration’s handling of transportation issues as he backed the report of a congressional commission that called for major federal spending on infrastructure funded by fuel-tax increases.

WASHINGTON — With an eye on the congressional debate next year over reauthorizing transportation legislation, leaders of American Trucking Associations agreed on the need for the industry to come together on key issues and established a task force to work on safety issues.