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Although 2009 approaches, and technology seems to surround us everywhere we turn, many companies still don’t consider fleet maintenance a first-tier, mission-critical function, putting it instead in the “necessary evil” category.

The national average price of regular gasoline plunged 53 in the two weeks ended Friday to $2.78 a gallon, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations released Sunday.

Publicly traded less-than-truckload carriers generally posted lower earnings in the third quarter, with several fleets warning that freight volumes would get worse as the fourth quarter unfolds.

North America’s five biggest railroads flexed their pricing muscles to earn $2.85 billion in the third quarter, raising revenue per shipment 20% despite lower freight traffic.

The national average price of diesel fuel fell another 17.7 cents to $3.482 a gallon last week, the lowest level since mid-February, the Department of Energy reported.

The Department of Transportation is making $679 million available to states to cover costs incurred to repair roads and bridges damaged by “a variety of natural emergencies and catastrophic events.”

Truckload carrier Knight Transportation’s third-quarter profit rose to $16.1 million, or 19 cents a share, from $14.5 million, or 17 cents, a year ago.

Truck dealership Rush Enterprises’ third-quarter net income fell to $8 million, or 21 cents a share, down from $13.1 million, or 34 cents, a year ago.

NEW ORLEANS — Fleet executives said that despite the benefits of using safety technology, attitudes within the industry need to change in order to have wider acceptance.