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Electronic communication from trailers in the field has advanced to the point where skepticism of tracking technology is starting to show signs of cracking, according to some fleet executives who are poised to buy the equipment.

In the news this morning: Minnesota to expand highway watch program; Miami port truckers say they're paying the price for a February strike; and Werner chairman warns stockholders that hours-of-service proposals, used truck glut may slow growth.

A settlement over diesel emissions reached between three of the nation’s largest grocery chains, the state of California and environmental groups could set an expensive precedent for air-quality lawsuits against trucking in California and beyond.

The 90-day clock on the comment period for the Department of Transportation’s proposed changes to the hours-of-service regulation began ticking May 2, but response was already flowing into the agency as truck drivers, industry executives and safety critics took to the Internet to post their opinions.

The National Transportation Safety Board is about to chide the Department of Transportation for not providing truck drivers adequate opportunities to get a full measure of rest while on the road, according to the chairman of the NTSB.

The future that trailer-maker Donald “Jerry” Ehrlich sees for his industry involves trailers that are smarter, provide a smoother ride and carry more payload.

Rising distillate inventories brought a 1-cent drop in the price of diesel fuel last week, although falling stocks of crude oil and a strike that has halted Norway’s North Sea oil exports seemed to threaten another jump in price.

The check isn’t in the mail yet, but sources say an additional $5 million has been “found” for further development of U.S. Customs Service’s Automated Commercial Environment computer system.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after hearing two months of testimony, does not have a clear directive from industry and labor on how the agency should proceed with its workplace standard to reduce injuries, but it acknowledges that modifications are in order.

The decision by Texas to require a special clean diesel fuel in the Dallas area reawakens trucking’s fear that carriers will have to buy fuel on a state-by-state basis.