Business

Floods and road closures in the Pacific Northwest have hurt the trucking industry this winter, the Olympian newspaper reported.

A plan by the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on how to address truck emissions and hire drivers is causing divisions with the adjacent Port of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

FedEx Corp. said it will provide users of Microsoft Office’s Outlook e-mail the ability to connect to its shipping services, another step in the company’s plan to let customers build software directly into their own infrastructure.

John Hill, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said his agency was working to craft more precise data on truck-related fatalities that could pinpoint the number of deaths attributable to the actions of truck drivers.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Representatives of heavy-duty engine manufacturers said during the 2008 annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council that onboard diagnostic technology bundled with 2010 engines will add considerable time and complexity to troubleshooting routines.

Class 8 truck sales plummeted 48.3% in January, compared with totals from a year ago, as dealers moved only 9,600 vehicles, the lowest number since the depths of the previous sales collapse, in 2003, according to data from WardsAuto.com.

Teamsters union members voted 2-to-1 to ratify a new five-year National Master Freight Agreement with major less-than-truckload carriers that trucking industry executives said gives unionized companies new flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions.

Risks associated with public-private highway partnership agreements range from higher tolls and traffic diversion to stiff political opposition and potential tax losses, according to a new government study.

CHICAGO — International Truck and Engine Corp. jumped into the high-end owner-operator market with a stunningly designed vehicle the company promises will be as aerodynamic and fuel-efficient as it is eye-catching.