Hybrid drivetrains, combining diesel and electric power and developed by Eaton Corp., will be available in 2008 on medium-duty truck chassis made by Freightliner Corp., International Truck and Engine Corp. and Paccar’s DAF, Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co., according to several announcements by the manufacturers involved.

U.S. truck maker Freightliner LLC, after working on two development projects for more than four years, decided that hydrogen fuel cell technology is not yet ready for a role in reducing idling in the trucking industry.

ight-emitting diodes, or LEDs — long-lived and rugged — have earned the role of standard-equipment tail lights, turn signals, marker and clearance lights on trailers and trucks.

The Federal Highway Administration is continuing its “Talking Freight” Web seminar series through May. The monthly “Webinars” are designed to provide a no-cost way for transportation practitioners to broaden their knowledge about transporting freight.

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. img src="http://www.ttnews.com/images/EMU-logo.gif" width=135 align=right>Volvo’s Mack Trucks division stands to receive $3.5 million from the federal government to build four prototype diesel-electric hybrid vehicles for the Air Force, company officials and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said.

The Technology & Maintenance Council has coined a new title for the first national skills competition for commercial vehicle technologies: TMCSuperTech2005.