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WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood an-nounced last week he will take steps to try to further curb distracting driving activities such as text messaging or using a cell phone or a Global Positioning System device.

Manufacturer ArvinMeritor Inc. said it lost $162 million in the April-to-June quarter, while also announcing last week it has found a buyer for its light-vehicle wheels business and has stepped up its marketing effort for truck disc and drum brakes ahead of the government’s new truck stopping-distance rule.

There were no surprises in the new federal rule designed to improve the braking power of a standard, fully loaded, tractor-trailer by almost one-third.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to cut the maximum allowed stopping distance for large trucks by 30% will increase truck buyers’ costs somewhat, but will not force a widespread shift to new technology such as air disc brakes, industry groups and manufacturers said.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Thursday it lost $221 million in the second quarter as sales fell 25%.

Iteris Inc., which makes lane-departure warning systems for the trucking industry, said Thursday its fiscal first-quarter profit decreased from a year ago.

In reference to the story, “Safeway Fleet Set to Fill Tires With Nitrogen,” which appeared July 6 on p. 8, I have been using nitrogen in my fleet since 2005. We have noticed that the tires stay at a constant pressure, and we have been able to get well over 250,000 miles out of our drive tires and 150,000 miles out of our steer tires.