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Efforts to get Port of Los Angeles owner-operators reclassified as employees hit a major snag last week when a three-judge panel ruled that the drivers are independent contractors, not employees.

Violators of New Jersey’s through-truck ban now face heavy fines, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R).

New federal rules would limit long-haul truck drivers to 12 hours of driving and mandate the use of electronic data recorders, according to a well-placed Transportation Department source.

The California Trucking Association and other industry trade groups have filed a lawsuit to reverse California’s decision labeling diesel particulates a toxic air contaminant.

A blast of bitter cold throughout the Northeast is being blamed for a 6.7-cents-a-gallon leap in the retail price of diesel fuel in New England, to $1.441 on Jan. 17. But the average national price, as reported by the Energy Information Administration the same day, remained at $1.307 a gallon for the second week.

Federal Express changed the name of its parent company from FDX Corp. to FedEx Corp. and will rename three of its business units, package carrier RPS Inc., expedited carrier Roberts Express and Global Logistics, to feature the FedEx brand name.

Just how good is the federal commercial driver license program?

Cyprus Truck Lines of Jacksonville, Fla., has purchased Ploof Truck Lines and will operate the flatbed truckload carrier as a separate business.

Peoplenet Communications got a makeover last week, receiving $25 million in funding and naming a prominent figure in trucking technology as chief executive officer.

Bush Leasing, a truck leasing and sales company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Jan. 11, citing a failure to restructure its $310 million in secured debt.