°®¶¹´«Ã½

The typical truck driver saw his salary rise more than $5,400 over the past three years, according to a study released last week by American Trucking Associations.

Three of the nation’s major package couriers behind United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp. have instituted major changes of ownership, stock exchange listing and corporate organization.

The Surface Transportation Board issued its final ruling in a series of undercharge cases that had their roots in the economic deregulation of trucking in 1980 and once threatened to transfer $27 billion from the nation’s shippers into the estates of bankrupt motor carriers.

A softening economy slathered on top of the traditionally slow winter season prompted less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp. to lay off 75 full- ime, salaried personnel Jan. 12, according to a company spokesman.

Eagle Global Logistics, the strongly profitable Houston-based freight forwarder owned by EGL Inc., last week acknowledged difficulties that will cause it to take about $90 million in pre-tax charges against earnings and to lay off 300 employees.

Legal pressures are mounting against Intrenet Inc., the transportation holding company that ceased operations Jan. 2 and formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Jan. 19.

FedEx Corp. is reorganizing its hours of operation for the public and its internal corporate structure in an attempt to reap premium prices from procrastinators and find a home for newly acquired American Freightways.

Yellow Corp. will consolidate its regional carriers — distilling them from four into two — to improve service for shippers, generate more profits for shareholders and perhaps attract the attention of investors eager to purchase a large less-than-truckload carrier.

A softening economy has led the giant trucking company Yellow Corp., a specialist in less-than-truckload shipments, to lay off 75 fulltime salaried personnel from its nationwide staff of 7,000 effective Jan. 12, according to a company spokesman.

FedEx Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service agreed last week to a package of seven-year agreements under which FedEx will carry Priority, Express and first-class mail on its airplanes between the nation’s airports and will place up to 10,000 of its purple-orange-and-white drop boxes at post offices around the nation.