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Manufacturing activity in the New York region expanded in February for the first time since August, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Friday.

Transport Topics will be closed Monday for the Presidents’ Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, Feb. 19, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

There’s no real mystery as to why otherwise intelligent fleet operators so often negotiate full-service leases using only big, round numbers. Reason No. 1 is that they simply don’t know their actual, detailed maintenance costs.

Well, at least we’re getting lip service related to fixing the nation’s ailing and neglected infrastructure network. Now, if we can just get some concrete action.

The Truckload Carriers Association is scheduled to gather next month in Las Vegas for its 75th annual convention against the backdrop of rising fuel prices, tepid freight demand and chronic driver issues.

Intermodal freight in North America set an all-time record of 14.6 million shipments in 2012, powered by continued growth in domestic container shipments during the fourth quarter, the Intermodal Association of North America announced.

As many as three of every four crashes involving cars and heavy trucks are caused by automobile “driver factors” such as speeding or failure to stay in a lane, according to a report released last week by American Trucking Associations.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The trucks of tomorrow will be shaped by tougher fuel-efficiency standards and efforts to improve driver comfort and ease of operation, while the emergence of natural gas could potentially revolutionize the industry, the chief operating officer of Navistar International Corp. said.

YRC Worldwide Inc. said it recorded the first annual operating profit since 2006 and narrowed its fourth-quarter net loss to $35.3 million.