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The Virginia Trucking Association recently warned carriers to read the fine print when they agree to participate in federally funded university studies, claiming that researchers used motor carrier data from a 2009 distracted-driving study in a subsequent study to support a pending hours-of-service rule.

A federally funded program that retrofitted 76 trucks in Arizona with new $1,600 catalytic converters was terminated after public uproar that some of the money was being spent on Mexican carriers.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite being some of the nation’s top professional drivers, competitors at the 2011 National Truck Driving Championships said it was only natural to be nervous.

Trucking stocks have suffered a thrashing this month from in­vestors as the overall stock market bounced up and down, pressured by worries about European debt, the United States’ debt downgrade and the global economy, but several analysts expressed confidence in the industry.

Increasing freight hauling demand and possible changes in hours-of-service rules and vehicle weight limits are forcing the largest private fleets in the United States and Canada to focus more attention on the availability of drivers and the cost of transporting goods.

The average price of a gallon of U.S. diesel slid 4 cents to $3.897 last week, the Department of Energy reported, while crude oil declined along with equity markets.

Heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales grew 31.5% to 12,609 units in July over the 9,589 sold in July 2010, WardsAuto.com reported.

Express-1 Expedited Solutions, a provider of brokerage and forwarding services, said it has scheduled a Sept. 1 shareholders’ meeting to approve a takeover by Jacobs Private Equity, a firm controlled by investor Bradley Jacobs.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 7,000 last week to 395,000, a four-month low, the Labor Department said Thursday.