Business

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. Monday reported record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, with sales topping $3 billion in the quarter for the first time.

Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution lowered its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, due to lower seasonal demand.

The president of trucking software provider TMW Systems said he does not expect a slowdown in sales this year, even as some trucking companies face a downturn in demand for freight-hauling services.

Food-services provider Sysco Corp. said Monday its fiscal second-quarter net income rose 16% to $236.7 million or 38 cents a share, from $204.2 million or 33 cents a year earlier.

The maintenance managers of two vehicle leasing companies expect few problems in their shops as the truck-operating industry shifts to the next generation of lower-emission diesel engines.

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Truckload carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services said Monday it earned $57.8 million or 39 cents a share in the fourth quarter, a decline from $65.3 million or 41 cents a year ago.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index jumped 3.9% in December, following a 3.6% downturn in November.

Diesel engine and heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. its fourth-quarter profit rose 4% to a record $882 million or $1.32 a share, up from $846 million or $1.20 a share a year earlier.

Refrigerated truckload carrier Marten Transport’s fourth-quarter income fell 27% to $5.2 million or 24 cents a share, from $7.1 million or 32 cents a year earlier.