Autonomous

A major challenge facing the trucking industry as it copes with tighter emission standards from the Environmental Protection Agency is choosing the right type of oil to ensure that engines continue to perform to their maximum capability.

Volkswagen AG, Swedish truck maker Scania AB’s largest shareholder, rejected German truck maker MAN AG’s $13.3 billion hostile bid for Scania, saying it prefers the two companies try to achieve a “friendly” combination, Bloomberg reported.

Intermodal and logistics firm RoadLink USA said Thursday that it has acquired Transus Intermodal, an intermodal trucking services company.

Trucking component maker ArvinMeritor and Wal-Mart Transportation have agreed to develop a dual-mode, diesel-electric drivetrain for a Class 8 tractor, the two said.

Trucking, couriers and messengers, and warehousing and storage revenue reached $292 billion in 2005, up from $266 billion the year before, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.

Paccar Inc., the parent company of Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co., said late Tuesday it plans to build a new $400 million powertrain manufacturing plant in the southeastern United States.

Highway Watch Report Leads to Arrest • McMurray Named FMCSA’s Chief Safety Officer • Mass. Trucking Company Files Complaint Against FMCSA • Survey Cites Drivers’ HOS Compliance Concerns • And more...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said late Tuesday that it will announce a proposed rule regarding electronic on-board recorders for commercial trucks and buses on Thursday morning.

Crude oil futures hit a 19-month low price, closing at $54.02 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Wednesday following a Department of Energy report showing strong heating-oil inventories, Bloomberg reported.

Wachovia Capital Markets upgraded the U.S. trucking sector to “market weight” from “underweight,” citing opportunities for investors to be more constructive ahead of the next upturn, Reuters reported.