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Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region jumped this month, indicating overall strength in the U.S. economy, the Institute for Supply Chain Management-Chicago said Thursday.

A federal appeals court granted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration an extension on its proposal for hours-of-service documents until Jan. 31.

Initial jobless claims fell last week to the lowest level in almost two and half years, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Driver turnover is expected to rise this year after remaining near record lows for much of 2010, as the economy strengthens and new federal safety initiatives are implemented, a trucking official said.

Truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp. said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell to $39 million from $86 million last year, as costs related to engine development and a new labor contract with United Auto Workers chipped away at results.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed fines up to $2,750 for truckers who use a handheld cell phone while driving, as well as the possible suspension or revocation of a commercial license for repeated offenses.

Fueled by growth in dry vans, net trailer orders in the United States reached a two-year high in November of 21,314 units, ACT Research reported.

Philadelphia has knocked New York City from the top spot on the American Tort Reform Association’s list of the worst places to be a defendant in a lawsuit.

The new year for trucking companies picks up right where 2010 left off, with optimism about an improving economy but also plenty of unknowns about which to worry.

Truck tonnage hauled increased in November for the 12th month in a row, rising 3.9% above the corresponding month of 2009, according to American Trucking Associations.