Fuel

Many carriers allow truck drivers to bring along a cat or dog as a companion. For fleets, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs.

Best Transportation announced it used a Class 8 battery-electric vehicle to deliver a container from Port Newark to a Costco wholesale location within New Jersey without incident, calling it a first at the port and part of the carrier’s ongoing evaluation of electric trucks.

Four major automakers reached a compromise with California’s clean-air regulator to boost fuel efficiency, a move the Trump administration dismissed as a “PR stunt” that wouldn’t affect its plans to ease mileage requirements enacted during the Obama administration.

Four major automakers have reached a secret deal with California to increase gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions standards, bypassing the Trump administration’s plan to freeze standards at 2021 levels, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Battery-electric medium-duty trucks may have a bright future due to their potential to reduce operational costs and improve sustainability. But currently, the availability of these trucks is limited as testing continues.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped by 0.7 cent to $3.044 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported July 22. Meanwhile, crude oil rose to slightly more than $56 a barrel during trading of West Texas Intermediate.

Tankers are offloading millions of barrels of Iranian oil into storage tanks at Chinese ports, creating a hoard of crude sitting on the doorstep of the world’s biggest buyer.

Oil surrendered an early gain July 19 as Tehran denied President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. downed an Iranian drone near the Strait of Hormuz, an assertion which had earlier helped oil snap back from four days of losses.

Some industry representatives suggest that electric-powered vehicles will not only reduce diesel pollutants, but also ­attract a new generation of recruits to the field of heavy truck maintenance.

Infrastructure policy, which was seen as a bright legislative point at the start of the year capable of reaching President Donald Trump’s desk, is now hardly mentioned by the president and leaders on Capitol Hill.