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Transportation software firm ALK Technologies said that the latest version of its PC-Miler software, PC-Miler 23, has been certified by its partner TMW Systems.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is increasing its use of Global Positioning System history logs as supporting evidence in driver hours-of-service audits, an executive with Qualcomm Inc. said last week.

The Maine Department of Transportation has installed cameras and scales in an attempt to catch weight violations in trucks that avoid a weigh station on Interstate 95, the Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald reported Friday.

Some key manufacturing indicators showed gains last week, a sign the economy is shifting from recession to expansion, several economists said. However, they warned that the turnaround is uneven, which makes business statistics confusing and trends difficult to track clearly.

Truck component maker Eaton Corp. said that it would provide the electric power systems for 378 Class 5 electric hybrid plug-in vehicles under a federal grant, which it called the “largest commercial hybrid deployment” ever.

Future U.S. economic vitality depends on an adequately funded rural road system that can accommodate heavier trucks, a South Dakota trucking company president told a Senate committee last week.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood an-nounced last week he will take steps to try to further curb distracting driving activities such as text messaging or using a cell phone or a Global Positioning System device.

Finance and leasing industry officials said a proposal to reclassify equipment leases as a form of debt or asset, rather than an expense, would be difficult and costly for most companies to comply with.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to cut the maximum allowed stopping distance for large trucks by 30% will increase truck buyers’ costs somewhat, but will not force a widespread shift to new technology such as air disc brakes, industry groups and manufacturers said.

Harbor commissioners at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., are expected to approve a plan next month to spend $46.5 million in new grant funding from the state to fast-track the purchase of up to 500 new liquefied natural gas trucks, officials with both ports said.