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In the news this morning: C.H. Robinson names two corporate VPs; Western Star announces fourth quarter results; and California stats show reduction in accidents caused by trucks.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services will spend more than $1 billion over five years to convert its fleet of 9,000 cabover truck tractors to conventional tractors, company officials said Thursday.

This afternoon's headlines: Canadian highway plan disappoints trucking reps; Corpus Christi begins work on reefer facility; and Rail-sponsored study blasts Canadian truck safety.

The average price of diesel jumped 2.2 cents a gallon last week, the biggest leap since April, but analysts who have been calling the summer’s numbers artificially high still think the cost of fuel will stop rising.

United Parcel Service will take a $1.44 billion charge against earnings in the second quarter to cover its potential liability after a judge ruled that the company took improper deductions for insurance expenses to avoid paying income taxes.

U.S. owner-operators on both coasts are following the lead of their Canadian counterparts and taking action to protest labor conditions at seaports.

The open road has called many to a life behind the wheel, but it’s a hard one. The most common complaint registered in an informal Transport Topics poll of drivers is the long-haul trip that stretches on and on at the expense of family life. It’s an ancient conflict.

The debate over the Federal Highway Administration’s safety rating system began anew last week when the agency issued a proposed rule that would shut down carriers that do not take steps to correct an “unsatisfactory” evaluation within 60 days.

Customers of Overnite Transportation Co. are the latest targets in the Teamsters union’s efforts to organize employees of the less-than-truckload carrier.

A proposal to make terminal operators responsible for the roadworthiness of containers and chassis picked up by trucking companies will be a hot topic at the annual membership conference of the Intermodal Association of North America.