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For the second consecutive year, an International Truck dealer has earned the distinction of being the nation’s top truck dealer.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A group of component manufacturers has adapted a new technology that lets drivers monitor the condition of their brakes and send other safety and performance information from a trailer to the dashboard.

Political flare-ups in South America and the Middle East are combining to push oil prices higher, and could keep prices rising throughout the spring and summer driving months, news services said.

Business inventories and business sales both dipped in February, the Commerce Department reported Monday. It was the 13th consecutive month of decline for inventories, the report said.

Shippers Making Plans in Case of Dock Strike • W.Va. Task Force to Tackle Coal Truck Dispute • Arctic Drilling Plan Seen Unlikely to Pass • OPEC May Boost Output in ’02 on Rebound • And more...

Breaking a six-week upward trend, the national average price of diesel slipped 0.3 cent per gallon last week to $1.320, the Department of Energy reported.

LAS VEGAS – Dealers wishing to survive a period of low new truck sales should invest in their parts and service departments as an alternative source of revenue.

The ouster of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez by his country’s army on Thursday may curtail the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ ability to keep the price of oil high, news services reported.

Marten Transport Expects Lower 1Q Earnings • Rising Gasoline Prices Not Likely to Limit Travel • Truckers Injured Less in 2000; Still Higher Rate Than Other Workers • Meeting Brings New Ideas on I-81 Tolls • And more...

Two economic reports released Friday offered mixed signals about the economy, as retail sales increased 0.2% in March and the producer price index rose 1%. The final numbers in both reports were clouded by the recent spike in oil prices.