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The gap between Class 8 truck sales in 1999 and 2000 widened in August as total sales of 16,986 trailed the 1999 figure of 21,938 by 22.6% — the biggest month-to-month drop so far this year.

The executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says American Trucking Associations is hurting his group’s efforts to get a national fuel surcharge law by remaining neutral on the plan.

Rail and barge companies will continue to pay a 4.3-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel fuel after the House Rules Committee dropped a measure to repeal it from the Railroad Retirement and Survivors Act of 2000.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance gathered some of trucking’s critics to discuss the highway safety challenges that face the industry, including the suggestion that everyone work together on driver education.

The gap between Class 8 truck sales in 1999 and 2000 widened in August as total sales of 16,986 trailed the 1999 figure of 21,938 by 22.6% — the biggest month-to-month drop so far this year.

The Defense Department will soon award a contract to see if it can save taxpayer dollars by using third-party logistics firms to orchestrate the movement of its massive quantities of materiel.

Brian Baumeister, a driver for AmeriPride Services Inc., was named Delivery Driver of the Year in the inaugural Race to Deliver, a national competition for parcel delivery drivers that was held Sept. 10-11.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have joined forces to test the effectiveness of states’ truck driver licensing programs.

In the news this morning: CNF expects lower 3Q earnings; White House debate seen growing over oil reserve use; Volvo may sell Scania stake to Volkswagen; and more to come.

Crude oil futures fell $2.14 Tuesday to close at $61.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Bloomberg News reported.