U.S. truck makers sold 17,308 Class 8 trucks in March, a 33% increase from the same month last year, but the news comes as several potentially troubling signs have appeared.

Factory orders for heavy-duty trucks declined for the third-straight month in March, sparking discussion over whether interest in new North American trucks is waning or if the industry is temporarily at rest.

The Mid-America Trucking Show, held every March in Louisville, Ky., is the nation’s largest trucking show and a wonderful barometer of what is going on in the industry.

U.S. heavy-duty truck sales continued to surge in February, as fleets and owner-operators bought 15,418 Class 8s, a 58.8% jump over the 9,712 sold a year earlier, WardsAuto.com reported March 12.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The increasing need to conserve driver hours, coupled with the spread of electronic onboard recorders and analytical tools, are driving more fleets to adopt a new yardstick, revenue per hour, to measure productivity, industry officials said.

We are near the end of many years and 150 million miles of trucking in the northeastern United States.

After battling rivals and rising costs for years, Northeast regional truckload hauler Atkinson Freight Lines has shut its doors.

U.S. Class 8 truck sales grew sharply in January, jumping 52.9% compared with the first month of 2011, as all manufacturers posted gains of more than 40%, with the exception of Volvo Trucks, which dropped 5.2%.

Transport Topics will be closed Monday for the Presidents’ Day holiday. Please check back on Tuesday, Feb. 19, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.