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Trucking added 2,600 jobs in December, helping to reduce the nation’s unemployment rate from 9.8% to 9.4%, the lowest since July 2009, the U.S. Labor Department said in its latest report.

The Mexican government, after the U.S. announced it would moving forward with talks to reopen its southern border to truck traffic,  said last week it was suspending the practice of rotating goods subject to punitive tariffs.

North American rail freight volumes, led by intermodal, climbed out of the recession at a brisk pace in 2010, posting an  11% year-over-year growth rate that was the fastest pace in at least 50 years.

American Trucking Associations began its pushback against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed hours-of-service rule last week by questioning the agency’s analysis and asking Congress to lobby on the industry’s behalf. 

American Trucking Associations last week announced the selection of 18 truck drivers to be captains of the 2011-2012 America’s Road Team.

Spot shortages of intermodal chassis are surfacing and uncertainty is building about the future chassis supply as truckers take more responsibility for the equipment that traditionally came from ocean carriers, industry officials said.

The average price of a gallon of U.S. retail diesel rose by 0.2 cent last week to $3.333, the Department of Energy reported, while the regular gasoline price average climbed 1.9 cents to $3.089.

Truck manufacturers and their dealers sold 11,742 Class 8 trucks in the United States during December, the highest monthly total since December 2008, Wardsauto.com reported.

Prices paid to U.S. producers rose by the most in almost a year, gaining 1.1% in December, the Labor Department said Thursday.