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LAS VEGAS — Leading heavy-duty truck components manufacturers said technology exists today to build a safer, environmentally friendly and low-cost heavy-duty “world truck,” but major obstacles are consumer acceptance and the lack of a single global standard for emissions and safety technology.

Components maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said its fiscal first-quarter earnings fell to $7 million or 10 cents a share, from $34 million or 49 cents a year earlier, as it said it faced challenges from the automotive, light-duty and heavy-duty truck segments.

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. Monday reported record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, with sales topping $3 billion in the quarter for the first time.

The president of trucking software provider TMW Systems said he does not expect a slowdown in sales this year, even as some trucking companies face a downturn in demand for freight-hauling services.

The maintenance managers of two vehicle leasing companies expect few problems in their shops as the truck-operating industry shifts to the next generation of lower-emission diesel engines.

Vehicle parts manufacturer Eaton Corp. said Monday that its fourth-quarter earnings rose nearly 15% from a year ago.

Georgia Weigh Stations to Use PrePass • Purolator Selects Software System from Carrier Logistics • Iowa Plans Internet Kiosks at Rest Stops • President to Address Global Warming in Tuesday Speech

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor. Once again, the great Environmental Protection Agency has brainwashed the public in the name of environmental protection. As a small fleet owner of longhaul flatbed equipment, our injectors and fuel systems are taking a beating in the name of conservation.

Moody’s Investors Service cut its rating on components maker ArvinMeritor Inc., saying the company’s profits will likely remain under pressure despite recent progress in cutting its debt, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Friday that truck carriers entering the United States at all land border ports of entry in California, Texas and New Mexico will be required to present advance electronic cargo information through the Automated Commercial Environment truck manifest system.