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Trucking industry mergers and acquisitions are expected to surge this year because of factors such as tight capacity and eager private-equity buyers, several industry experts have said.

There is reasonable cause for people in trucking to be optimistic in 2012. It looks like the economy’s recovery from the long and deep recession is gaining strength, so trucking can look forward to increasing demand.

Used-truck sales declined in November, the result of both a lack of supply and increasing buyer resistance to high prices, according to two trucking-industry research groups.

Heavy-duty U.S. truck sales continued their robust expansion in November, jumping 77% from the same month in 2010 and surging past the 57.7% growth rate for the year’s first 11 months, according to a Dec. 12 report from WardsAuto.com.

Class 8 truck orders in North America dropped 21.2% in November, the first year-over-year decline in 13 months, as the industry recovered from the bruising recession, according to ACT Research Co.

Registrations of used trucks barely increased in the first nine months of this year, while tight supplies of them forced buyers to pay 19% more than they did last year for trucks with higher mileage, according to market researchers.

Heavy-duty truck sales in the United States skyrocketed in October, doubling from the corresponding month last year, and with a 174.2% sales gain by Navistar Inc. leading to the industry’s greatest single-month volume since January 2007.

ATLANTA — Large truckload carriers U.S. Xpress Enterprises and CRST International last week said they are expanding their team-driver service offerings to tap the refrigerated truckload market for produce shipments.

Volkswagen AG said Wednesday it has completed purchase of a majority stake of fellow German truck producer MAN SE, opening the way to becoming “a new top player on the global truck market.”

TravelCenters of America said Monday its third-quarter earnings jumped from a year ago as fuel sales increased.