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Sales of Class 8 trucks in December pushed 1999’s retail total to 262,316 units, shattering the record of 1998 by nearly 53,000 vehicles. But manufacturers fear a sharp drop in orders in 2000.

Truck drivers hold the key to success for much of the industry in 2000, but a carrier executive and the leader of an owner-operator group disagree on the best approach to keep the ranks filled.

The Northeast may never again have the levels of rail freight service achieved by Conrail, judging by what Norfolk Southern and CSX representatives refused to say during a meeting with shippers.

This afternoon's headlines: L.A. arbitration panel says harbor drivers are independent; Caterpillar found to have defrauded ex-partner; and drivers say it's the little things that make them stay with a carrier.

A University of Michigan study has concluded that better pay for over-the-road truck drivers leads to a better safety record.

In the news this morning: Allied Holdings stock shoots up on earnings report; Employees push for NationsWay liquidation; and Private mail haulers vote to join national postal union.

The leadership of the Truckload Carriers Association has recommended the group integrate with American Trucking Associations, a key tenet of the larger group’s reorganization plan.

Sales of Class 8 trucks in December pushed 1999’s retail total to 262,316 units, shattering the record of 1998 by nearly 53,000 vehicles.

The Northeast may never again have the levels of rail freight service achieved by Conrail. That assessment comes not from what Norfolk Southern and CSX representatives said during a meeting with shippers Jan. 11, but from what they refused to say.

Trucker pay will finally start to go up industrywide this year, under pressure from a pervasive driver shortage, and the money to fund those raises will come from shippers in the form of rate increases, according to five industry experts who participated in Transport Topics’ 11th annual Management Outlook Forum.