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Truckload carrier USA Truck on Thursday reported its fourth-quarter profit plunged to $1.2 million or 11 cents a share, from $4.3 million or 37 cents a year earlier, on lower tonnage and demand.

The Transportation Department’s recent proposal to use electronic onboard recorders to monitor driver hours is “weak” and ineffective, safety advocacy groups said last week, while some trucking industry organizations applauded the plan.

USA Truck Wednesday announced the promotion of Jerry Orler to chief executive officer.

Analysts expect mostly lackluster fourth-quarter earnings from trucking companies, since the industry's annual peak season never materialized and demand further waned amid a general economic slowdown, the Associated Press reported.

WASHINGTON — Volvo AB and Mack Trucks Inc. last week unveiled a hybrid prototype of a heavy-duty Mack construction truck and company officials said their diesel-electric power supply will cut fuel costs 30% for stop-and-go trucks and buses while running much cleaner.

Trucks operating in California would be required to meet tighter emission standards under a plan proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to spend $3.1 billion in bond money to improve four key freight corridors.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Friday that truck carriers entering the United States at all land border ports of entry in California, Texas and New Mexico will be required to present advance electronic cargo information through the Automated Commercial Environment truck manifest system.

Penske Logistics plans to close a trucking terminal in Richfield, Ohio, and lay off 92 employees by the end of March, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Friday.

TTNews.com will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, Jan. 22, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that its 12 district banks reported a moderate pace of growth and inflation late last year as labor markets tightened, and several regional banks reported softer trucking demand.