Equipment

Heavy-duty vehicle parts manufacturer Eaton Corp. said Tuesday its fourth-quarter net earnings rose 8%, and the company boosted its dividend too.

WASHINGTON — In a controversial report calling for huge new spending on the national transportation system, a congressional commission last week made several recommendations that would affect trucking, including new flexibility in the federal driver hours-of-service rule in congestion-prone areas.

I think everyone is becoming tired of the continued drama from the hours-of-service debacle. Does the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration really believe they can reissue the same rules the courts have thrown out twice and they will now be accepted?

Parts and engine systems maker Eaton Corp. said Monday that it has formally introduced its first commercially available hybrid power system in China.

Xata Corp.’s acquisition of fellow fleet technology provider GeoLogic Solutions gives the company its first real foothold for marketing information technology systems to for-hire trucking fleets, an executive with the Eden Prairie, Minn., firm said.

The commission charged with examining the future of the national transportation system is set to recommend a significant increase in federal fuel taxes to Congress, according to wire service reports and other sources.

YRC Worldwide’s proposed new contract with the Teamsters union raises wages by $2.20 an hour over five years, increases company pension payments, and sets up a new class of “utility employees” to perform more job duties in exchange for higher pay.

Information technology vendors took aim at smaller fleets in 2007, offering software and tracking options that don’t require carriers to invest in full onboard computer systems.

The U.S. Department of Transportation asked private companies and governments to provide information on commercially available technologies that could be used to reduce congestion and improve the safety of the transportation system.