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There was some interesting advice offered by two of our industry’s best-known economists last week to fleet executives who were attending the National Tank Truck Carriers annual conference in San Francisco.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration continues to be dead set on forcing every commercial vehicle in the United States to carry an electronic onboard recorder — better known as an EOBR — despite the device’s hefty price tag and general uselessness as a safety tool.

ARLINGTON, Va. — American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves blasted federal lawmakers in a recent speech, telling an audience of a shippers’ association here that the upcoming election has halted the legislative process and Republicans’ pushes to decrease the federal role in transportation are missing the mark, among other criticisms.

CHENNAI, India — The world’s largest commercial vehicle maker, Daimler AG, is making one of its biggest-ever bets by pouring $850 million into production and sales operations here, in what is now the world’s fastest-growing market for trucks and buses.

Royce Brooks, an experienced tank truck driver, was hauling gasoline to Lockhart, Texas, south of Austin, when a BMW driver blew through a stop sign and a flashing red light.

The decline in truck orders — including the 55% drop last month compared with a year ago and declines in the previous three months — represents a “pause” in the fleet replenishment process rather than a sign of fundamental market weakness, several analysts and dealers have said.

SAN FRANCISCO — Two of trucking’s leading economists said last week the industry’s economic recovery was well under way and should continue for at least several more years.

Navistar has issued a recall for 21,831 International brand trucks to check for a possible defect that could cause an alternator cable to chafe and potentially lead to an electrical short.

LAS VEGAS — Executives at Western Star Trucks, Daimler AG’s North American niche brand, want to boost U.S. heavy-duty market share toward the 3% level from its current neighborhood of 1.2%, hoping that its new 4700 and another model to come will increase sales toward that level.

Congress should pass legislation to prohibit states from imposing business taxes on for-hire interstate carriers unless the carriers have real property in the state or received operating authority from it, American Trucking Associations told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.