Technology Briefs — March 20 - March 26

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• EPA Certifies Caterpillar’s C9 Engine
• ALK, IDSC to Integrate Mapping, Fuel Data
• Comdata Acquires Fuel-Tax Reporting Firm

EPA Certifies Caterpillar’s C9 Engine

Caterpillar Inc. said late Thursday it had received 2007 certification for its C9 “Acert” engine for 2007 engines from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The C9 is the final engine in Caterpillar’s on-highway line to be to be certified by EPA, and follows the previous certifications of the C7, C13, and C15 in November.

The C9 is a popular choice with vehicle owners who operate heavy-duty vocational trucks and is also used in the urban bus market. It will be in production during the second quarter, the company said.

“These certifications demonstrate that engines with Acert technology for 2007 are ready to serve our customers in the North American trucking industry,” said George Taylor, director and general manager of Caterpillar’s global on-highway unit. Transport Topics

ALK, IDSC to Integrate Mapping, Fuel Data

ALK Technologies said it signed an agreement with Integrated Decision Support Corp. to provide mapping and fuel data at the same time.

ALK, Princeton, N.J., said carriers will be able to rank fuel purchases identified by IDSC’s software, based on driving distance without exiting the fuel software. IDSC said the integration of ALK’s software could save carriers between 4 cents and 7 cents per gallon of fuel.

The application allows carriers to enter fuel prices, based on the “retail minus” or the “cost-plus” systems of calculating discounts, ALK said. Transport Topics

Comdata Acquires Fuel-Tax Reporting Firm

Fuel-card provider Comdata Corp. said it acquired Inter-Tax Inc. to expand its presence in the tax-reporting sector.

Comdata said the acquisition will allow it to provide automatic fuel-tax reporting for carriers, because Inter-Tax’s database links directly to state motor vehicle offices. Transport Topics

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