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CINCINNATI — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s chief safety officer strongly defended changes in driver hours-of-service rules slated to take effect in July, saying they are necessary to reduce exposure to fatigue that can lead to crashes.

While wide-base wheels offer weight and fuel savings, especially when spec’d for a new truck, fleets need to be aware of the higher costs when retrofitting them and of the potential for maintenance problems if the job isn’t done right, suppliers and carrier executives warned.

Now that tentative five-year agreements between UPS Inc. and the Teamsters union have been reached, about 250,000 workers in the company’s package and freight units will vote in a ratification process that may take two months.

GAGGENAU, Germany — Daimler Trucks officially began full production of its first automated manual transmissions designed for North American heavy-duty trucks at its plant here last week.

President Obama last week selected Anthony Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., as the next secretary of transportation.

The number of people killed on U.S. highways rose in 2012 following six years of consecutive declines, the longest streak in the nation’s history, Bloomberg News reported.

Once again, the fuel price snake has turned its head and for nine weeks now has been favoring truckers and motorists with some relief. But we’re all experienced enough — or should we say skeptical enough — to know that the relief is surely short-term. Or is it?

Expeditors International of Washington’s first-quarter profit rose 5% from a year ago, and the company said it sees “cause for optimism” for the rest of the year.

Trimac Transportation Ltd. said its first-quarter revenue and pretax earnings jumped, as its bulk trucking segment improved.

The U.S. trade deficit shrank by 11% in March as imports fell by the most in four years, the Commerce Department said Thursday.