ORLANDO, Fla. — Truck fleet and supplier executives warned this week that time was running out for preparing the industry for a smooth transition to a new generation of diesel engines that federal environmental officials have demanded by 2007.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Federal regulations to improve security of hazardous material shipments are likely to put an extra financial burden on motor carriers, a state trucking association executive and a motor carrier director of safety said here last week.

Engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. has appealed a federal court's rejection of its request to block enforcement of the government's new diesel emissions requirements.

Drug and alcohol use among truck drivers dropped slightly in 2001 from 2000 levels, but the decrease was insufficient to change the percentage of drivers who carriers must test for illegal drugs each year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said last week.

WASHINGTON — Several new programs aimed at improving transport security, including $27 million for enhanced trucking security, probably will remain unfunded at long as the 2003 transportation appropriations bill is stalled in Congress, members of Congress and government spokesmen said.

WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee transportation subcommittee said last week that hikes in federal and state fuel taxes may be needed next year to help maintain the nation's highways and bridges.

WASHINGTON — The Clean Diesel Independent Review Panel, whose members have attempted to evaluate industry compliance with upcoming heavy-duty engine emission standards, concluded last week that more work is needed on emerging technologies to cut smog-forming emissions to government-mandated levels.

As the Environmental Protection Agency’s Oct. 1 deadline for producing cleaner-running diesel truck engines neared, the primary effect was uncertainty in the trucking and truck-manufacturing industries.

Diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. joined most other engine makers in announcing layoffs, but executives at heavy-duty truck plants said they expected to keep assembling trucks over the next eight weeks with engines built before the Oct. 1 deadline for lower-emission models.

On a visit to ABF Freight System Inc.'s headquarters in Fort Smith, Ark., Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta praised the company for its safety and security initiatives.