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In the news this morning: Cargo piles up as independent truckers strike for higher wages; On-the-job fatalities show a sharp decline; and Three firms join to form giant dealer.

This afternoon's headlines: Border trade alliance backs hiring agents; Ports blast "roadworthiness" proposal for containers; and Insurers work with feds on truck safety.

A bill to stop the federal government from implementing ergonomics work rules won passage Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Police said Tuesday that the marijuana a bus driver used before he got behind the wheel was the key cause of the Mother's Day crash that killed 22 mostly elderly passengers.

Oregon legislators have given in to pressure from truckers and voted to eliminate the state’s 52-year-old weight-distance tax.

The closing of Preston Trucking Co., a little more than 12 months after being sold off to company management by Yellow Corp., came as a shock to its 5,500 employees, Teamsters union officials and industry analysts.

At the same time Oregon lawmakers voted to kill the nation’s first weight-distance tax, a pair of influential congressmen were pushing creation of a federal version of a ton-mile levy that they say would result in many truck owners paying less to Uncle Sam.

The Senate debated a Republican-sponsored $792 billion tax cut bill last week that would speed up restoration of the 80% tax deduction for meals eaten by truckers on the road and reduce the estate tax.

Truckers need computers, but they can be downright brutal with them. Just like the military, trucking companies are looking for units that can withstand the hostile environment of their industry.

The leaders of state trucking associations are meeting this week to discuss several industry-related topics, including their comfort level with the restructuring of American Trucking Associations.