Technology

Trimble Navigation Ltd. last week said it has purchased navigation software provider ALK Technologies Inc., continuing its aggressive expansion in the trucking technology field.

North Carolina’s Quick Pass toll collection system and the multistate E-ZPass system will become compatible Thursday, when users of both transponders will be able to pay tolls in both systems, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority announced.

Major acquisitions, the upcoming electronic onboard recorder mandate and a move toward mobility platforms were among the year’s biggest developments in trucking’s technology arena.

New Mexico adopted the Drivewyze PreClear system as its new service for trucks to bypass weight stations and mobile inspections sites on all major routes in the state.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to survey trucking to determine how it could prevent driver harassment when it issues a rule mandating electronic onboard recorders.

Honeywell said it plans to acquire mobile computing company Intermec Inc. for $600 million.

Penske Truck Leasing is retrofitting 5,000 of its semi-trucks with advanced LED headlights, the company said.

The cost of all-electronic tolling is about the same as the cost of collecting fuel tax, and could result in more money available for highway infrastructure improvements, the Reason Foundation said in a study released last week.

The Christmas tree that will sit on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol arrived in Washington last week, towed by a Mack truck.