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The ongoing pilot program that allows approved Mexican fleets into the interior of the United States suffers from lax oversight that does not sufficiently ensure compliance with the program’s requirements, a federal auditor said in a report released last week.

MINNEAPOLIS — ABF Freight System truck driver Ralph Garcia had to make a choice between being at the hospital for the birth of his first grandson or competing here in the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships.

Managers of the nation’s largest shipper-owned truck fleets are taking steps to counter the rising cost of fuel and equipment by more closely monitoring drivers and using new data collection techniques to make better routing decisions and improve compliance with safety and environmental regulations.

The American Transportation Research Institute has released its annual survey to gauge the trucking industry’s top concerns.

Truck and engine manufacturer Navistar International Corp., pressed to find a way to offer engines that comply with federal emissions regulations, said last week that it has reached an agreement to use Cummins Inc. selective catalytic reduction technology for its 13-liter engines and offer Cummins 15-liter engines in some of its International brand trucks.

For carriers, the effort to find the best nonidling cooling option for the truck cab has not been without starts and stops.

Satisfaction with model-year 2011 trucks suffered as a result of technology added to comply with 2010 federal emissions regulations, which resulted in customers’ reporting more problems with the trucks, a recent J.D. Power and Associates’ survey found.

A year after U.S. officials agreed to allow Mexican trucks into the country, only four Mexican carriers are participating, far below the number the United States has said would be needed to judge the safety of Mexican trucks.

The federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program is in danger of turning its focus from its original intent — to reduce truck-related crashes, fatalities and injuries, American Trucking Associations said Thursday.

Allied Systems Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. car hauler, last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the second time it has done so, saying it’s continuing to provide service and blaming weakness in the car and light-truck business for the move.