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Nearly 90 proposals in 24 states and Congress would “undercut” independent contractor classification and subject carriers using owner-operators to “greater scrutiny and exposure,” according to a new American Trucking Associations’ owner-operator classification alert.

The rules are changing for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s “SafeStat” audits for trucking companies.

Penske Truck Leasing Co. said that it has completed the acquisition of Bright Truck Leasing & Bright Distribution, a truck leasing, maintenance, rental and logistics company.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell (D) has proposed that the state extend the sales tax to services including trucking and warehousing, a move industry leaders said imperils a business sector the state actively recruited and developed.

California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District is offering incentive funding of up to $50,000 for the purchase of a diesel truck or up to $100,000 for the purchase of a natural gas truck, in return for scrapping an older Class 8 diesel truck, the agency said.

WASHINGTON — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro said she is committed to launching the agency’s new truck safety rating system in July, although she expects there will be problems at the start.

Truck component maker Accuride Corp. said it has successfully completed a reorganization plan and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after five months.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new enforcement plan, Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, seems destined to be a major step forward in how the federal government oversees truck fleets and drivers.