91��Ƶ

Decatur, Ga.-based Allied Holdings Inc., which boasts the largest North American trucking operation for vehicle deliveries but sees that business slumping, said Tuesday that its board has again elected Robert J. Rutland as chairman and chief executive officer, effective Feb. 15.

President Bush’s swift agreement to open the U.S.-Mexico border to international truck traffic shows his commitment to trade between North America’s most populous neighbors and to promises made along the campaign trail.

The U.S. average pump price for diesel fuel fell two-tenths of one cent to $1.518 per gallon as of Feb. 12, the Energy Department reported Monday afternoon. The price has moved in a fairly narrow range in recent weeks.

As expected, Cummins Engine Co. announced Monday a nine-year agree-ment with truck maker Paccar Inc. to supply engines for its heavy trucks.

FCC Auction Hit With Unfair Bid Claims; Nasdaq Conditionally Extends @Track’s Listing; UN to Adopt Electronic Signatures Model Law; The Quest For Mobility; Supply Chain Chiefs Eye Wireless.

Xata Reports Loss, Backlog; P.A.M. Earnings Match Year-Ago; Airlines Face Strike Risks; FedEx Freight Formed as LTL Unit; Various Carriers Join in Logistics Network; EEOC Wants BNSF to Stop Genetic Testing; Gasoline Holding Steady; and more.

Ford Motor Co. and Navistar International Corp. announced Monday they are forming a joint venture that initially will build trucks and later will explore “opportunities” in diesel engines.

American Trucking Associations’ President Walter B. McCormick Jr. said Monday that trucking has an opportunity to “play offense” on key legislative issues – such as tax relief, truck size and weight, fuel and emissions regulations, ergonomics and drivers’ hours-of-service rules.

With new cargo securement regulations emerging from the Department of Transportation, carriers are worried that enforcement of the new rules will be spotty.

Capping a two-nation research effort that began eight years ago, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is putting the finishing touches on its proposed North American Cargo Securement Standard, intended to bring uniformity to regulations governing the way cargo is secured to truck trailers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.