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WASHINGTON — A coalition of law enforcement and equipment manufacturers pressed Congress to act on a bill that would give fleets a tax incentive for purchasing safety technology.

Cadec Global, provider of fleet management software, and CMV Safety Consulting Inc. said they formed a partnership to keep Cadec customers up-to-date on North American trucking regulation changes.

With fuel prices at a record and the economy teetering at the brink of a recession that could cut into carrier revenue, some truckload carriers are pushing harder for savings by using lighter trailers, limiting idling to save fuel and shortening trade-in cycles.

Truck tonnage in January posted its biggest gain since the beginning of 2005, climbing 5.3% above year-ago levels and marking the third consecutive increase for the monthly index, American Trucking Associations reported Feb. 26.

Canadian transportation firm TransForce Income Fund said Thursday it lost C$30.8 million, or 36 cents a share, in the fourth-quarter as a result of a C$56 million write-off of goodwill associated with the Fund’s Oilfield Services division.

Several large trucking fleets have urged the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to retain the 11th hour of driving and the 34-hour restart in its hours-of-service regulations, saying those provisions have improved highway safety and given drivers the flexibility to adjust to unexpected delays.

The Department of Transportation said it is seeking to reduce common mistakes that result in nearly half of all human factor-caused train accidents.

After spending more than 32 years in this industry, nothing really surprises me anymore. However, with regards to all the political groups who seem to know more about our industry than we do, their members are probably the first to complain when the new stove, washer-dryer, etc., isn’t delivered on time.