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This afternoon's headlines: Better information for shippers, carriers behind FreightWise-NTE deal; transportation summit called for in Connecticut; truck repossessions continue to mount; and more.

Today's technology headlines: PNV adds Williams to list of truckstop outlets; Truckinguniverse industry shopping site goes live; distribution system takes off for clothing retailer American Eagle; and more.

Rail freight traffic, led by a 9% surge in coal volumes, increased 6.1%, and intermodal loadings rose 3.8% last week, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.

While members of the oil cartel argued over production increases last week, fuel users in the United States saw little relief as the national average price of diesel rose 2.1 cents a gallon and hit a 15-week high in the latest federal survey.

Diesel and gasoline prices receded in Illinois last week after suspension of the state’s sales tax on motor fuel. Within days, the tax holiday knocked a nickel or more off pump prices.

Three years ago, Richard E. Durst, president of Arctic Express in Hilliard, Ohio, sat down and calculated the cost of exchanging pallets with shippers.

Shippers weighed in on behalf of trucking July 6 at the start of the final public hearing on the controversial hours-of-service proposal and lambasted the Department of Transportation’s work.

House and Senate votes have stopped funding for the proposed ergonomics standards starting Oct. 1, but the workplace safety issue covering an estimated 27.3 million workers is far from being dead in the water.

The Senate intends to phase out estate and gift taxes when it meets this week, benefiting almost all small businesses, including trucking companies, said spokesmen for both the Senate and trucking.

Those involved in transferring hazardous cargo need more training, according to the the National Transportation Safety Board, and industry groups have agreed to cooperate in updating guidelines.