°®¶¹´«Ã½

A proposed federal rule that triples to $3,000 the annual registration fee for large hazardous materials motor carriers but maintains a fee of $300 for small carriers places an unfair burden on large carriers, American Trucking Associations and National Tank Truck Carriers said in written comments opposing the new rule.

Despite a challenging freight environment over the past year, the 2010 Mid-America Trucking Show organizers said industry optimism may be rising. They cited an anticipated increase in the number of exhibitors and attendees for the March 25-27 show.

GE Capital is taking over the role of lead lender to support the purchase of International trucks, as Navistar International Corp.’s in-house finance captive withdraws from the retail market to concentrate on wholesale activities to support dealers, the two companies said.

As the use of mapping and routing software becomes more prevalent across the trucking industry, service providers and state transportation officials said fleets must be wary of the risks posed from using applications not specifically designed for trucks.

Truck availability has tightened sharply in recent weeks as steadily growing freight demand draws even with total truck capacity, which shriveled during the recession, industry experts said.

The Mexican government is preparing to change the list of U.S. products that will be subjected to higher tariffs in retaliation for the continued lockout of that nation’s truck fleets, sources told Transport Topics last week.

The head of Daimler AG’s truck unit said worldwide truck demand may take several more years to return to pre-recession levels, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The shipping industry in the United States has the opportunity in the next 18 months to dramatically improve its efficiency and ability to compete in the global economy.

A proposed federal rule that triples to $3,000 the annual registration fee for large motor carriers who haul hazardous materials but maintains a $300 fee for small carriers places an unfair burden on large carriers, American Trucking Associations said.