Autonomous

A pair of North American zoos used two tractors pulling drop-deck trailers to carry a trio of female Asian elephants to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., from Calgary, Alberta, quickly and in comfort.

A memo from the American Transportation Research Institute last week questioning the government’s perceived safety benefits of the hours-of-service rule change likely did not surprise many in trucking.

WASHINGTON — Trucking executives from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio asked members of their congressional delegation here April 9 to help roll back provisions of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that imposes limits on truckers’ work schedules.

Federal regulators should develop a separate standard for natural gas-powered vehicles when they finalize the second phase of the government’s emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, according to a new report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

By now, you’re well aware of President Obama’s announcement that he will direct the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to set the next — i.e., the post-2018 — round of medium- and heavy-truck fuel economy and emissions standards.

Whiting Door Manufacturing Corp. has licensed technology to produce lightweight steel panels for trailer side walls and doors, a move that expands the company’s truck business beyond doors for the first time.

After much anticipation, on March 13 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released its proposal that interstate truck drivers be required to use electronic logging devices.

Reaction to President Obama’s call for tighter carbon dioxide emissions rules for trucks poured in quickly with the first wave of comment generally offering approval, although there were also calls for caution, including from American Trucking Associations.