°®¶¹´«Ã½

WASHINGTON — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials said they are planning to release at least five new proposed or final rules in 2013, including a supplemental proposed electronic logging device rule and a proposed drug and alcohol clearinghouse rule by the end of March.

Pressure from federal safety regulations and the latest transportation bill is pushing more carriers to make the switch from paper driver logs to electronic logging through in-cab systems, according to fleets and vendors.

Commercial drivers in Illinois are banned from using hand held cellphones while driving, as of this month, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.

Comdata Corp. announced it expanded its cardless payment options with a new point-of-sale platform called Smart Solutions.

Trimble Navigation Ltd. last week said it has purchased navigation software provider ALK Technologies Inc., continuing its aggressive expansion in the trucking technology field.

North Carolina’s Quick Pass toll collection system and the multistate E-ZPass system will become compatible Thursday, when users of both transponders will be able to pay tolls in both systems, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority announced.

Major acquisitions, the upcoming electronic onboard recorder mandate and a move toward mobility platforms were among the year’s biggest developments in trucking’s technology arena.

New Mexico adopted the Drivewyze PreClear system as its new service for trucks to bypass weight stations and mobile inspections sites on all major routes in the state.