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Bob Costello, chief economist of American Trucking Associations, was one of 10 people appointed to a new board that will advise the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics on data and research issues.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Companies offering selective catalytic reduction technology for 2010 engines displayed a variety of hardware for dispensing diesel exhaust fluid.

The U.S. House re-passed its version of Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation on March 25, which included a provision that would allow employees of FedEx Corp.’s Express unit to organize more easily.

The Department of Transportation last week issued a proposed rule outlawing text messaging by commercial drivers, taking another step in its ongoing effort to eliminate the practice.

Trailer orders in February reached the highest level in two years, fueling manufacturers’ hopes that their business momentum is improving after 2009 production sank to a 34-year low, industry officials said.

Brokers are facing a number of critical new challenges as the economy recovers and government intervention threatens the business environment, industry experts said.

A few fleets are starting to raise driver pay, as freight demand and the need for more drivers increase this spring, reversing the pattern of the past couple of years that kept wages steady or reduced them, the National Transportation Institute said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fuel consumption of heavy-duty trucks should improve by more than 40% to 10 miles per gallon by 2020, the CEO of Daimler Trucks North America said last week, as truck and engine makers made fuel economy a central theme at the Mid-America Trucking Show here.

It’s wise not to get too giddy, but it definitely appears things are improving for the economy — and for trucking.