91��Ƶ

FedEx Corp. Chief Executive Frederick Smith he is confident the company’s FedEx Ground unit drivers are correctly classified and that the division remains “fundamentally strong” in the face of adverse court rulings.

Polar Air Cargo Worldwide said Wednesday it will begin service to Japan, from Chicago, starting Feb. 21.

The eyes of the trucking industry were firmly fixed on Washington for much of 2007, first watching a federal court deliberate over the fate of the hours-of-service rule, then looking to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to see how it would address the court’s ruling.

After years of study, Interstate 81 in Virginia will not contain separate truck-only lanes, the News-Virginian newspaper reported Sunday.

The average price of diesel fuel rose 3.7 cents to $3.345 a gallon last week while the price of crude oil pushed past $100 a barrel for the first time, which analysts said would soon lead to higher fuel prices.

The IRS struck another blow to FedEx Ground’s independent contractor business model, assessing the package delivery company back taxes and penalties of $319 million for 2002 after an audit determined that company drivers should have been classified as employees.

Information technology vendors took aim at smaller fleets in 2007, offering software and tracking options that don’t require carriers to invest in full onboard computer systems.

The op-ed by the California Air Resource Board’s enforcement division chief, James Ryden, about the new refrigerated carrier rules is as expected with CARB: “Ready, FIRE, aim!”

The New Mexico Department of Environment is considering limiting the amount of time long-haul truckers can leave their vehicles idling at truck stops, the Associated Press reported.