The PLC4Trucks powerline protocol that will warn a driver of a faulty trailer antilock brake system was effective in tests and is expected to work on the road. But not all issues are resolved.

Is there an automatic transmission in your future?

Did Dec. 22 come and go with a splash? It was the deadline for compliance with federal laws on underground fuel storage tanks.

Did Dec. 22 come and go with a splash? It was the deadline for compliance with federal laws on underground fuel storage tanks.

Weight limits on some rural bridges can be increased 25% or more without compromising safety or inflicting damage, allowing heavy vehicles to use the spans and cut their operating costs, according to a civil engineer from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Volvo’s new VN-660 highway tractor must be just what customers want, because they’ve already ordered more than 1,500 units even though dealers don’t have any in stock, said executives of Volvo Trucks North America during a news briefing.

Next time you think you’re running out of things to worry about, walk through the maintenance shop and check the bolt bins. There are enough potential disasters lurking there to give your corporate legal counsel ulcers.

Is intermodal worth the risk? “What risk?” protested two railroaders on a panel of logisticians discussing truck-rail movement of containers and piggyback trailers.

Everyone who’s anyone in America’s vast distribution network has computer-based information and communication systems. These days you can’t do business without them. But in the words of one major player, “It’s not what you use but how you use it.”

Shippers have been spending more on transportation and using more technology. They are dealing with fewer carriers and getting more for their money.