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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its final rule requiring heavy-truck manufacturers to install onboard diagnostic systems starting in 2010 to alert drivers when engine emission systems are malfunctioning or deteriorating.

ATLANTA — Meritor WABCO demonstrated its new automatic braking system for heavy-duty trucks that is integrated with its anti-lock braking and stability control systems. Executives said the system can cut accident rates, especially rear-end collisions, which account for nearly 20% of all truck-involved crashes.

When heavy-duty engines with selective catalytic reduction technology start rolling in 2010, truckers refilling their trucks’ urea tanks will need to follow strict guidelines to protect the product’s purity to avoid damaging the aftertreatment system, urea experts said.

Greatwide Logistics Services, a provider of non-asset-based transportation and third-party logistics services, said it will be acquired by a private investor group.

NEW ORLEANS — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in the final stages of preparing its Driver Information Resource for use by trucking companies, an agency official said here.

Ryder System said it will acquire Transpacific Container Terminal Ltd. and CRSA Logistics Ltd., as well as CRSA’s operations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

In this country and this economy, I, too, believe there’s a lot of unused space moving up and down our highways, creating inefficiencies.

ORLANDO, Fla. — A fuel-optimization module acquired 12 months ago has since become a leading growth product for software vendor TMW Systems, which held its annual user conference in the heart of this resort-rich peninsula last week.

Heavy-duty truck components supplier Eaton Corp. said its Vorad VS-400 collision-warning system has become a factory-installed option on all Freightliner Cascadia, Century and Columbia Class 8 trucks.

PeopleNet, which provides onboard communications and fleet management systems, said Monday it is integrating its eDriver Logs automated driver log application with LoadMaster dispatch and enterprise software from McLeod Software.