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This week’s tornado outbreak across the South destroyed damaged or several trucking facilities, company executives said.

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said Friday its first-quarter profit more than quintupled on higher sales, and its boosted its full-year earnings outlook.

Consumer personal spending rose 0.6% in March, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region slipped in April from March, but showed continued expansion, the Institute for Supply Chain Management-Chicago said Friday.

Consumer confidence rose in April from a 16-month low, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.

The country’s recent economic climate certainly illustrates how essential and strong the transportation component is to our way of life, but trucking has needed to navigate regulatory challenges as well.

Pacer International said Thursday it posted a first-quarter profit compared with a loss a year ago.

The world’s two largest oil companies Thursday reported multi-billion-dollar first-quarter profits, up from a year ago, on higher crude oil prices.

Specialty truck maker Oshkosh Corp. said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter profit dropped from a year ago as sales of some military vehicles declined.