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President Obama must decide by Sept. 17 whether to accept the recommendation of the U.S. International Trade Commission to impose tariffs on passenger and light-truck tires made in China, the second-largest U.S. trading partner.

When Congress went back into session last week, the prospects for passing a long-term highway bill appeared to be dimming as other issues continued to dominate the legislative agenda.

The Department of Transportation is distributing free software the agency said will help create a central Web portal through which shippers, carriers and third parties can automatically exchange data about freight movements.

Global economic and environmental challenges, upgrading transportation infrastructure and improving business performance are some of the major issues on the agenda at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ annual conference Sept. 20-23 in Chicago.

Teamsters at YRC Worldwide Inc.’s New Penn regional trucking subsidiary approved a 5% wage cut and pension givebacks in a second vote on those concessions to help the parent company cope with mounting losses and dwindling freight volumes.

Less than a week after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposed more than doubling registration fees for motor carriers and brokers, American Trucking Associations and several other groups urged the agency to extend its short 15-day comment period.

While sales of new Class 8 trucks continue to languish, several used truck dealers said they have noted recent “sporadic” increases in business that they believe could signal a market bottom. However, they added that financing problems were restricting sales.

The National Transportation Safety Board has instituted a policy banning texting and talking on cell phones by its employees while they are working, the Associated Press reported.