Business

In a brazen display of recklessness, and with utter disregard for the safety implications of its decision, Texas has decided to let its private “partner” on a section of State Highway 130, also called Pickle Parkway, post an 85-mile-per-hour speed limit, the highest in the country, when it opens.

COLUMBUS, Ind. — North American heavy-duty truck production should rise to 284,700 vehicles this year, an 11.5% gain from 2011, despite a continuing decline in orders, ACT Research Co. said.

Where warehouse dockworkers once had to go to a supervisor’s window for their assignments, advanced software has eliminated this and other long-standing procedures — turning the process of managing distribution centers into a faster, better-coordinated system, users and vendors said.

American Trucking Associations has urged Texas to reverse its decision set a speed limit of 85 miles an hour — the fastest in the nation — for cars and trucks on a soon-to-open portion of a toll road between Austin and San Antonio.

PITTSBURGH — Christopher Barnett Sr. of Ryder System Inc., who did not place first in any individual event at SuperTech 2012, was named trucking’s top technician after a strong performance on the written test and at the 17 skill stations that are part of the premier contest.

Natso said last week it had rejected a settlement offer from major banks and credit card networks to end a lawsuit involving credit card swipe fees, saying it does not go far enough to reform a “broken system.”

Talks are resuming this week between management and the union that represents East Coast and Gulf Coast dock workers as negotiators work against a Sept. 30 contract expiration.

Driver turnover at large truckload carriers reached 106% in the second quarter — the highest level since the final quarter of 2007 — as fleets looked for staff to move modestly higher freight volumes this year, American Trucking Associations reported.

NEW YORK — Aging fleet owners, struggling small carriers and the never-ending search for enough qualified drivers are combining to heat up the trucking acquisition market this year, according to industry executives and experts.

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Trucking’s experiment with natural gas engines continues to expand, as another major truckload fleet said it was testing the fuel, and a medium-size fleet already reported significantly favorable results in regional and local shipping.