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Sky-high diesel prices along the Eastern Seaboard eased a little this week, as the national average price retreated slightly from a 10-year high. But prices in the West continue to climb.

Large trucking operations hauling hazardous materials will see their federal registration fees increase 660% beginning May 1 under new rules issued by the Research and Special Programs Administration.

Swift Transportation said it has agreed to purchase a 49% stake in Trans-Mex Inc., a truckload carrier based in Mexico, in an effort to meet the growing demand for freight hauling between the United States and Mexico.

The New Jersey Supreme Court temporarily barred the state Department of Environmental Protection from collecting a hazardous waste hauler fee that costs trucking more than $1.2 million a year.

In the news this morning: FedEx to purchase Tower Group; Trucking firms seek plan to get Fla. drayers back to work; and Ore. gas tax backers sue AAA over advertisement.

An independent arbitrator has ruled that United Parcel Service must add the 2,000 full-time jobs it promised in a 1997 labor agreement with the Teamsters union.

Many states have laws to keep trucks out of the left lane on certain highways, but as more states consider lane restrictions, there is uncertainty about whether they solve safety problems or create more traffic headaches.

This afternoon's headlines: Teamsters ask for federal disaster relief funds; Illinois CDL scandal toll hits 21; and Allied Worldwide, Wheaton Moving in bidding war for California's Global.

When bugs go splat into a windshield, it may be proof of a costly lack of aerodynamics and an even costlier loss of fuel efficiency, and designers are working to make rigs more streamlined.

The Engine Manufacturers Association is hailing an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to require deep reductions in the sulfur content of diesel fuel.