Most stakeholder groups in the trucking industry are cheering the new federal fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks announced Tuesday. With the exception of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (OOIDA), the new targets for reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions were met with praise. One of the advantages of the plan is to reduce dependence on foreign oil. In order to develop technologies to achieve these ambitious standards, a number of OEMs will be put to work, though several said the new federal fuel efficiency goals align well with Continue Reading

Among alternative power solutions, hybrid technology is the favorite to be the leader in the global marketplace among medium-heavy commercial truck and buses by 2020, but its shortfalls, particularly financial, will remain. A new study by Frost & Sullivan, a global research firm, says that hybrids will quickly eclipse even more expensive technologies like compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The leading providers of these hybrids are projected to be North America–where some nearly 50 percent of the projected 300,000-plus electric buses and vehicles on the Continue Reading

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn gave the final approval for three pieces of legislation affecting trucking in the state. One bill raises the maximum truck weight to 80,400 lbs to accommodate auxiliary power units, and the other will boost the speed limit for trucks to 65 mph on four-lane highways outside the Chicagoland area. Both of these changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. The last bill, which allows for a form of dual Continue Reading

On the heels of an announcement calling for improved fuel economy goals for cars and light-duty trucks, President Obama is set to make a similar announcement regarding heavy-duty vehicles on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Just last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a 20 percent reduction of emissions and improved fuel economy for heavy-duty trucks beginning with the Continue Reading

Yesterday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a third year of funding to promote the purchase of next-generation clean cars, trucks and off-road equipment. The program will offer up to $40 million to be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Trucking companies in the state can receive vouchers to help support the addition of fuel-efficient hybrid and zero-emission trucks into Continue Reading

Though the recent resurgence in Class 8 truck sales is positive, many fleets remain cautiously optimistic about the economy. That’s why many of the new truck orders are driven by the desire to replace aging equipment, not to add capacity. Still, there is more than enough equipment in most fleets to replace, as this marks the oldest the U.S. trucking fleet has ever been, according to FTR Associates. Though availability of credit and volatile fuel prices have an effect, the age factor alone is what’s driving much of the surge in Continue Reading

A healthy rebound in truck orders has pushed production capacity of Class 8 vehicles to its limits. And those limitations are further exacerbated by the shortage of tires, axles and other second- and third-tier components. As a result, manufacturers are approaching their production capacities with a tempered conservativism due to these potential shortages. When production of Class 8 trucks begins to level off, it will be Continue Reading

A new wave of technology has the potential to address up to 81 percent of all vehicle target crashes, according to the administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Under development are “connected” vehicle systems that allow vehicles to communicate wirelessly with each other and with infrastructure, such as toll booths and traffic signals. Some of these Continue Reading

While the recently-signed U.S.-Mexico cross-border trucking agreement has divided the industry’s lobbying groups, one international trade expert is urging the positives of the deal. Troy Ryley, the managing director of Transplace Mexico, says the new agreement could be a boon for Texas as a distribution center for loads brought in by Mexican trucks, as well as it could help alleviate capacity issues in the Continue Reading

The U.S. and Mexico have finally made the cross-border trucking program official again. The top transportation leaders from both countries signed the agreement yesterday in Mexico City. Under the terms, Mexican trucks and drivers must comply with a litany of safety requirements. Drivers must submit to drug test and an English language assessment, for example. In return, Mexico agrees to lift a number of retaliatory tariffs it imposed on the U.S. when the previous cross-border trucking program was suspended in 2009. Then, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Continue Reading