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Technology that can detect from the roadside whether a vehicle is current on its registration and insurance has been launched successfully on a small island nation and could be expanded to save North American cargo fleets some time on the road and in the back office.

New technology and a changing business environment are having a profound effect on the way transportation services are bought and sold.

Insurance executives said they strongly support electronic logging but that use of the devices by truckers will not automatically lower fleets’ coverage expenses because carriers’ overall safety records dictate rates.

BALTIMORE — Fleets that adopt electronic logging devices are encountering challenges from competitors who don’t use them and who poach their drivers and customers, three carrier officials said last week.

American Trucking Associations told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that while it supports the agency’s proposal to require electronic devices to record drivers’ hours of service, it also is urging FMCSA to address important device design and performance requirements.

Equipment upgrades, fleet failures and tuck-in acquisitions have created an inventory of used mobile communications units, and bargain-seeking carriers looking for small batches of these systems have created sustainable demand for secondhand units, several tech executives have said.

The role of engine oil in fuel efficiency, maintenance challenges for intermodal operations, disaster recovery planning, and coatings for corrosion protection are among the topics on the wide-ranging agenda for the fall meeting of the Technology and Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations.

PRINCETON, N.J. — ALK Technologies is preparing to launch version 25 of its PC Miler truck-routing software, the company said May 5 at its annual technology summit here.

Federal regulators have issued a proposed rule that would extend a ban on the use of handheld cellphones to include intrastate hazardous materials motor carriers.