Technology

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. will buy BAF Technologies, a supplier of natural gas vehicle systems and conversion technology, for $8.3 million.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is increasing its use of Global Positioning System history logs as supporting evidence in driver hours-of-service audits, an executive with Qualcomm Inc. said last week.

The Maine Department of Transportation has installed cameras and scales in an attempt to catch weight violations in trucks that avoid a weigh station on Interstate 95, the Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald reported Friday.

Some key manufacturing indicators showed gains last week, a sign the economy is shifting from recession to expansion, several economists said. However, they warned that the turnaround is uneven, which makes business statistics confusing and trends difficult to track clearly.

The Department of Defense has extended its deadline for carriers to install new trailer-tracking hardware and software when hauling the military’s high-security and sensitive commodities, including arms, ammunition and explosives.

UPS Inc. said that all U.S.-based sellers on eBay now have a direct, free connection from within that site to the UPS WorldShip system.

Truck component maker Eaton Corp. said that it would provide the electric power systems for 378 Class 5 electric hybrid plug-in vehicles under a federal grant, which it called the “largest commercial hybrid deployment” ever.

Future U.S. economic vitality depends on an adequately funded rural road system that can accommodate heavier trucks, a South Dakota trucking company president told a Senate committee last week.

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood an-nounced last week he will take steps to try to further curb distracting driving activities such as text messaging or using a cell phone or a Global Positioning System device.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to cut the maximum allowed stopping distance for large trucks by 30% will increase truck buyers’ costs somewhat, but will not force a widespread shift to new technology such as air disc brakes, industry groups and manufacturers said.