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This afternoon's headlines: Georgia to consolidate most motor vehicle services into one agency; UPS Logistics Group opens maquiladora center in Texas; and Port truckers gather in Washington for Teamsters demonstration

The Information Technology and Logistics Council is preparing for what members say will be a great conference even as staff members pack boxes and prepare to close up shop, leaving the future of the council in question.

In the news this morning: Senate committee to review STB rail merger ban; Muffler for compression brakes wins tech award; and VW looking "very closely" at possible commercial vehicle acquisition.

Members of the Truckload Carriers Association voted March 22 to reject a plan to integrate the 63-year-old organization with American Trucking Associations by a vote of 213-206.

This afternoon's headlines: Most new Interstate 70 overpasses in St. Louis will fall below height standards; Meritor establishes Web exchange for truck aftermarket; and Interstate Bakeries drivers strike spreads.

In a move heralded by industry analysts as a possible turning point for the beleaguered truckload segment, six of the nation’s largest truckload carriers last week agreed to combine their logistics operations into a new Internet-based transportation logistics company called Transplace.com.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to soon issue new rules that will severely restrict the amount of pollution that will be allowed in the exhaust of diesel engines. And the changes could result in sharp price increases and dramatically diminished supplies of the fuel.

The debate over the proposed integration of the Truckload Carriers Association into American Trucking Associations took a new twist as opponents of the merger called for renegotiating the terms of the groups’ relationship.

The price of diesel fuel climbed to new heights last week, amid a frenzy of protests, threatened protests, proposals, counterproposals, promises and caveats.

A second federal judge has ruled that the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General overstepped its bounds for investigating trucking companies for violations of federal motor carrier safety laws, but denied a request by five carriers for an injunction prohibiting the inquiries.