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P.A.M. Transportation Services reported a third-quarter loss of $1.7 million, or 19 cents per share, compared with a loss of $500,000, or 5 cents, a year ago.

Sharply higher fuel prices put a significant dent in first-quarter earnings for truckload fleets, but seven of the eight companies that have reported thus far still managed to top year-earlier results.

SAN DIEGO — An industry consensus appears to be emerging in support of electronic logging devices to monitor driver hours but not truck performance, as the Truckload Carriers Association endorsed that technology last week and American Trucking Associations moved in the same direction.

Gary Salisbury, president and CEO of Fikes Truck Line, Hope, Ark., was elected chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association for 2011-2012 at TCA’s annual meeting in San Diego.

Rochelle Gorman, CEO of CalArk International, received the first Influential Woman in Trucking award this week at the Truckload Carriers Association meeting in San Diego.

Truckload carrier P.A.M. Transportation Services said its fourth-quarter loss was smaller than a year ago.

Profits increased sharply at most of the eight publicly traded truckload carriers that issued earnings reports last week, with gains coming mostly through rate increases rather than volume growth in the uneven, but modestly growing, freight market.

P.A.M. Transportation Services reported a third-quarter loss Wednesday, citing a softer freight market and increased costs.

Third-quarter earnings rose sharply at four publicly traded truckload companies, as they were able to accelerate the pace of rate increases in a steady freight market.

Integrated Freight has acquired refrigerated truckload carrier Bruenger Trucking Co. for $11 million, the companies said.