Business

Concerns about the “fiscal cliff” seem to be spreading into lots of unexpected places, including the heart of the trucking industry.

New Class 8 truck orders slipped to 20,200 in November from a nine-month high the previous month, as truck buyers increasingly turned their focus to next year, ACT Research reported.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The use of natural gas in Class 8 freight-hauling trucks should begin in earnest next year with the introduction of an engine suitable for heavy-duty loads, according to a panel of original equipment manufacturers.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Natural gas has tremendous potential as a trucking industry fuel, but its era for over-the-road freight hauling is just beginning, according to industry experts who addressed the Natural Gas in Trucking Summit here Nov. 29 and 30.

The nation’s pending “fiscal cliff” and uncertainty about future federal tax rates are turning up the pressure to complete trucking industry acquisitions and sales before the end of the year, according to industry experts.

Southern California port truckers returned to work last week, and began moving tens of thousands of containers trapped by the eight-day walkout by the union that represents the port’s clerks,

When trouble strikes and a truck is disabled, establishing clear lines of communication between the driver, the driver’s dispatcher and the technician handling the problem are paramount to ensuring that the vehicle gets back on the road quickly and at minimal cost, according to the managers of several roadside-repair networks.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Fleet managers intent on choosing natural gas as a truck fuel will have to go through a complicated and expensive process to convert, including the development of training and maintenance procedures, said participants in the American Trucking Associations’ Summit on Natural Gas in Trucking.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The low price of natural gas is a main reason why it is so appealing to trucking, but concerns ranging from infrastructure to maintenance are forcing the industry to go slow, executives said.

ARLINGTON, VA. — Trucking should expect “piecemeal” measures that promote natural gas use because the federal government probably is too divided to tackle comprehensive legislation that could include incentives for buying natural gas trucks, two congressmen said.