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With about three weeks remaining before the expiration of a national labor contract, motor vehicle transporters want an agreement with the Teamsters union that will reverse a long-term decline in the unionized carhaul industry.

A Department of Transportation administrative law judge has told the Federal Highway Administration to vacate an out-of-service order it issued on the grounds that the agency had not demonstrated any "imminent hazard" in the case.

The driving force behind the new transportation policies at the Department of Defense is Mary Lou McHugh.

After years of riding Wal-Mart's coattails, Cannon Express of Springdale, Ark., finds itself scrambling to recover from the loss of approximately $20 million to $25 million in Wal-Mart freight revenue over the past year.

Class 8 trucks sales maintained a torrid pace through the first four months of 1999 -- more than 27% better than the mark reached at this point during 1998's record-setting run.

Shipments of trailers and chassis in the first three months of 1999 fell short of the mark set in 1998 by nearly 14%, continuing a trend seen since the beginning of the year.

The Federal Highway Administration has extended until Aug. 30 the deadline for comments on its proposed rulemaking regarding the "roadworthiness" of intermodal equipment.

The new, stern attitude toward trucking safety should not destroy the close ties that the industry and government have developed over the past four years, according to the top man at the Federal Highway Administration.

Federal transportation officials say a court-ordered environmental study of the plans to build a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge would take about two years to complete.

The future may seem spooky for trucking executives who heard tales of uncertain political leadership, a possible recession and stricter demands from shippers at the American Trucking Associations Foundation's annual meeting.