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Usually in Washington, as elsewhere, something has to be broken, or at least underperforming, before some branch of the government moves to repair or replace it. That being the case, you might ask why the Department of Transportation is looking to tinker around with its hours-of-service rule.

When passive radio frequency identification began its rise almost a decade ago, hopes ran high that the new technology, which offers hands-free operation and doesn’t require a direct line of sight, would help to free the shipping industry from labor-intensive bar-code tracking, which often requires handheld devices to read labels and is consequently much prone to human error.

Universal Truckload Services Inc. said it has acquired three companies that offer a variety of transportation services, continuing the company’s plan to grow through acquisitions.

England Logistics said that it has given approval to operate in China and has opened offices in five cities.

An index of leading economic indicators improved for a ninth straight month in December, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.

Manufacturing levels in the Philadelphia expanded in January for the fifth consecutive month, but at a lower pace than December, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.

UPS Inc. said it has deployed 245 new delivery trucks powered by compressed natural gas to cities in Colorado and California.

The rate of truck-involved fatalities in the United States dropped 12.3% in 2008 to a record low, American Trucking Associations said Wednesday.