The price of diesel fuel in New England dropped for a second week, helping to hold the national average price steady at $1.456 a gallon despite increases in the Midwest and West.

The recent skyrocketing of diesel fuel prices can be explained without blaming any conspiracy, says one industry analysts.

The fall in orders for new trucks and the rise in cancellations — factors that have prompted production cutbacks among several Class 8 manufacturers this year — have yet to reach the sales side of the market, which was up slightly in January from the same period in 1999.

The fall in orders for new trucks and the rise in cancellations have yet to reach the sales side of the market, which was up slightly in January from the same period in 1999.

When bugs go splat into a windshield, it may be proof of a costly lack of aerodynamics and an even costlier loss of fuel efficiency, and designers are working to make rigs more streamlined.

The Engine Manufacturers Association is hailing an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to require deep reductions in the sulfur content of diesel fuel.

Frustrated truckers in the Northeast parked their rigs, organized protests at two state capitals and halted activity at one of the nation’s busiest seaports as the price of diesel fuel continued to soar throughout the region.

When bugs go splat into a windshield rather than follow the air flow up and over a tractor-trailer, it may be proof of a costly lack of aerodynamics and an even costlier loss of fuel efficiency, especially in this period of high diesel prices.

A combination of low-sulfur fuel and a diesel particulate filter is effective in reducing particulate matter in emissions by as much as 95%, according to a joint government-private study.

The Engine Manufacturers Association is hailing an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to require deep reductions in the sulfur content of diesel fuel.