Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. EW YORK — Overall truck freight capacity remains tight as high fuel and other operating expenses continue to discourage large carriers from expanding their fleets and to push an increasing number of smaller fleets out of business, according to freight executives attending a Wall Street transportation conference.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. img src="http://www.ttnews.com/images/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>From built-in-stability control systems to collision avoidance radar technology and in-truck cameras and sensors, fleet managers are incorporating and testing new technology in an effort to make trucks safer for their drivers to operate and to reduce the high costs of highway crashes.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. tung by steeply rising prices for fuel, labor and equipment, trucking executives say they are examining how they can redesign business processes to lower operating costs and increase worker and fleet efficiency.

Click here to access the 2005 TT 100 for-hire and private fleet listings. he largest trucking businesses grew across the board in 2004, as the nation’s top for-hire carriers found new and innovative ways to haul more freight, despite rising costs for fuel and equipment and a tightening market for drivers.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. img src="http://www.ttnews.com/images/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Private carriers that specialize in store delivery are using new routing and packaging techniques to compensate for the loss of driver productivity resulting from driver hours-of-service rules, which cut back on the amount of time commercial truck drivers can spend on duty.

Ongoing capacity constraints among carriers and the prospect of permanently higher shipping costs are forcing logistics managers to re-examine the way freight is moved.

Large fleets also accounted for a greater share of new truck registrations in 2005’s first quarter, compared with last year, said Gary Meteer, director of the commercial vehicle group at Polk in Detroit.

A shortage of skilled drivers has spawned creative ways to attract and retain them, leading manufacturers to design truck cabs with more room, creature comforts and technology to keep truckers happy and productive on the road.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. img src="http://www.ttnews.com/images/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>Like many companies facing steep increases in insurance premiums following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, executives at Covenant Transport decided to raise the company’s deductibles and retain more of the risk for claims resulting from on-the-job injuries and motor vehicle crashes.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite a shortage of components and production bottlenecks, the chairman of the American Truck Dealers said he expected as much as 25% growth in heavy-duty truck sales in 2005 as fleet executives continue to replenish older equipment and buy trucks in advance of new diesel engine emission regulations in 2007.