Business

Wright Express Corp., which provides payment processing and information management services to fleets, said Monday it completed its $32 million acquisition of privately held Pacific Pride Services.

Cadec Global, provider of fleet management software, and CMV Safety Consulting Inc. said they formed a partnership to keep Cadec customers up-to-date on North American trucking regulation changes.

Component manufacturer Eaton Corp. said that Coca-Cola Enterprises has purchased 120 new trucks for 2008 delivery, powered by Eaton’s hybrid electric drivetrain system, Bloomberg reported.

Truck tonnage in January posted its biggest gain since the beginning of 2005, climbing 5.3% above year-ago levels and marking the third consecutive increase for the monthly index, American Trucking Associations reported Feb. 26.

With fuel prices at a record and the economy teetering at the brink of a recession that could cut into carrier revenue, some truckload carriers are pushing harder for savings by using lighter trailers, limiting idling to save fuel and shortening trade-in cycles.

The British Columbia government is planning to impose a carbon tax on fossil fuels beginning on July 1, the most comprehensive tax of its kind in North America.

As if a slowing economy, depressed housing and auto markets and sharply rising consumer prices aren’t bad enough news for trucking, fuel prices are skyrocketing again.

PHH Corp. on Friday said that its fleet management service subsidiary, PHH Arval, earned $35 million in the fourth quarter, up from $27 million a year ago.

Consumer personal spending rose at a rate of 0.4% in January, the Commerce Department said Friday.