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WASHINGTON — The Democratic chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a speech to American Trucking Associations’ winter meeting here, delivered a scathing criticism of the Bush administration’s handling of transportation issues as he backed the report of a congressional commission that called for major federal spending on infrastructure funded by fuel-tax increases.

WASHINGTON — With an eye on the congressional debate next year over reauthorizing transportation legislation, leaders of American Trucking Associations agreed on the need for the industry to come together on key issues and established a task force to work on safety issues.

The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index moved into positive territory and showed expansion in January, ISM said Friday.

New rules for the types of identification that U.S. and Canadian citizens must present to cross into the country took effect Thursday and authorities were optimistic the changes would not cause significant delays, the Associated Press reported.

If there ever was a segment of the transportation industry that needed an overhaul, it’s trucking.

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, last week criticized the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board for suggesting a design flaw was a key factor in the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

Florida officials are banning trucks from the left lane of a 40-mile stretch of the Florida Turnpike in South Florida starting Friday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

A judge in North Carolina recently ruled in favor of a trucking company that sued the state for what it said were excessive fines assessed for minor weight limit permit violations.

Transportation and logistics firm C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s fourth-quarter profit rose to $85.3 million, or 49 cents a share, from $71.8 million, or 41 cents, a year ago.