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Federal regulators have taken steps to push the trucking industry toward greater adoption of low-rolling-resistance tires on trucks and trailers in the years ahead, but developing these increasingly efficient tires involves more than simply tweaking a rubber compound, manufacturers said.

The driver shortage issue may be a thorn to the trucking industry, but it puts drivers in a bit of a power position to make their services available to the highest bidder. One particular driver is doing that literally, advertising himself on the online auction site, eBay.

Truckers and shippers welcomed the concept — but worried about the implementation — of a new appointment system for in-terminal container pickups at 10 terminals in the largest U.S. port complex.

The shutdown of Consolidated Freightways on Labor Day in 2002 shocked the industry and, temporarily at least, boosted the fortunes of less-than-truckload freight rivals Arkansas Best Freight System, Yellow Transportation and Roadway Express.

HEYBURN, Idaho — Volvo Trucks rolled out a drivetrain system that management hopes will give the company a larger presence among liquid and bulk haulers, regional distribution carriers and trucking companies often dealing with loads that diminish over time or with empty backhauls.

The Senate late on July 27 agreed to limit debate on a six-year highway bill, paving the way for final passage within days.

After years of accounting for just a single-digit share of the heavy-truck brake market, air disc brakes are enjoying double-digit growth, and suppliers are optimistically predicting the systems will capture a quarter of the foundations brake market within a few years.

The twin 33-foot trailer, the first potential nationwide truck-size change in nearly three decades, could generate attractive cost reductions for fleets and broad public benefits in reduced truck traffic, industry experts said.