Federal trucking regulators are reviewing a petition filed by the National Association of the Deaf seeking to relax requirements for deaf truck and bus drivers.

During the 72-hour ramp-up in enforcement, inspectors will include a special focus on “driver requirements” — CDLs, medical cards, seat belts, records of duty status and ELD compliance.

The marginal decreases indicate that demand for trucks is firming up and rates may be bottoming out. The national average reefer load-to-truck ratio was unchanged at 3.7 loads per...