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U.S. heavy-duty truck sales in December topped 10,000 units for the only month in 2009, but the grand total for the year of 94,798 units was the lowest since 1983 and 29% below the 2008 level, WardsAuto.com reported.

LAS VEGAS — Top executives from large trucking, truck-making and component manufacturing firms said they all see signs of a good business climate to come, but predicted 2010 will not be a boom year, and they are moving forward with very conservative business plans.

Diamond Phoenix and System Logistics have completed their merger and are now operating as one company under the System Logistics Corp. name, the company said Wednesday.

Navistar Inc. said Tuesday it has acquired some assets from Holley Performance Products, including intellectual property rights for valve technology used on exhaust gas recirculation systems.

Arrow Trucking Co., the flatbed carrier that abruptly shut down last month, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Jan. 8, and its principal bank lender filed a lawsuit charging Arrow’s officers with fraud that the bank alleges cost it $12.5 million.

Most of the Class 8 trucks sold in the United States last year by Daimler Trucks North America and Navistar Inc. were — for the first time ever — assembled in Mexico, both companies have acknowledged.

South Korean chemicals producer LG Chem Ltd. agreed to supply lithium-ion battery packs to Eaton Corp., the U.S. maker of commercial vehicle parts, Bloomberg reported.

When the drivers at Arrow Trucking received that message telling them to take their trucks to the nearest dealership, I hope all of them drove their trucks to their homes, unloaded all their gear and then called Arrow and told them to come pick up their truck.

Automated vehicle tracking is now accessible to more fleets than ever before, as providers pack the technology into small — but powerful — hardware. However, economic and regulatory concerns are keeping older systems firmly entrenched in the trucking industry.