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With Utah residents paying less for gasoline than they have in a decade, some lawmakers think it's a fine time to increase the state's per-gallon gas tax.

The General Assembly's approval of $104 million in bonds to improve congested northern Virginia highways could provide overdue relief in specific areas, but it is unlikely to have the necessary lasting impact on the overburdened road network, groups studying the issue said.

Trucking and freight companies of all kinds are confident that the economic environment will remain strong throughout 1999.

The Office of Motor Carriers is now the Motor Carrier and Highway Safety business unit, reflecting its Feb. 1 merger with the Office of Highway Safety under the Federal Highway Administration’s reorganization.

Montana’s biggest trucking organization says the state Legislature’s proposed 10 mph increase in the speed limit for trucks on Interstate highways would increase accidents and deaths.

A former secretary of state worker charged with trading commercial driver licenses for bribes also issued a license to a trucker involved in a 1994 Wisconsin crash that killed six children.

Trucking companies that receive calls to their toll-free numbers from pay telephones got a slight reprieve when the pay phone surcharge was lowered by more than 4 cents to 24 cents per call.

Navistar International Corp. reported Thursday its first-quarter profits soared 61 percent as strong world demand for its trucks and engines boosted the bottom line.

Swedish vehicle maker Volvo AB reported a 168 percent surge in profits for the fourth quarter last year as higher sales across the board overcame weakness in the company's Asian operations.

TT File PhotoThe fate of James P. Hoffa (pictured, middle) is in the hands of an election appeals master. Kenneth Conboy heard appeals this week from challenger Tom Leedham and representatives of the TDU to block Hoffa’s election as Teamsters president.