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Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho endorsed a $27 million settlement that would provide refunds to interstate carriers that overpaid the state’s weight-distance tax and reform the truck tax system.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bud Shuster has come out against rolling back the federal fuel tax, arguing that major road construction and rebuilding projects would be stopped in their tracks.

Trailers in the future may sport small wedge-shaped edge moldings or they may be enveloped in a constant stream of compressed air in the attempt to improve aerodynamics, said researchers at The Maintenance Council's annual meeting.

In the news this morning: DOT Web sites to accept applications, payments of fines; Police thank trucker who aided officer in roadside struggle; and Georgia truckers rally for parking rights.

This afternoon's headlines: Nissan Diesel completes land sale as part of bailout plan; Canadian fuel price study draws criticism; and Campbell's recipe for distribution cost savings.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to soon issue new rules that will impose tighter limits on pollution in the exhaust of diesel engines, and the changes could result in sharp fuel price increases.

The communications developments that have revolutionized the freight brokerage industry might also bury it as freight brokers fret about the threat posed by load-matching via the Internet.

I2Technologies, a big player in setting up Internet trading sites, announced the formation of Freightmatrix, a marketplace for transportation.

Schneider Logistics purchased Tranzact Systems, a 91ÊÓƵwood, Ill.-based freight payment company, and will operate the business as a stand-alone freight payment and auditing service.

In the news this morning: Carriers appeal STB's rail merger ban; E-commerce deals send Celadon stock up 30%; and LTL carrier Silver Eagle closes its doors.