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Trucking continued its drive to get Congress to order a one-year delay in the Clinton administration’s plan to implement new industry work rules, even as federal officials said they were unlikely to finish their work before their terms expire on Jan. 20.

Diesel engine manufacturers told federal officials they cannot meet an Oct. 1, 2002, deadline to produce cleaner-burning engines as agreed to in a 1998 consent decree.

Vince Ursini, a test manager with BorgWarner Cooling systems, thinks the various types of antifreeze should be identified by their color — the way consumers identify the butterfat content in milk by the container cap’s color. However, producers of antifreeze do not necessarily agree and are hesitant about making the change.

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This afternoon's headlines: Nissan Diesel stock jumps on report of Fiat interest; Air Canada talks with pilots head into weekend with no strike notice; Illinois ships I-PASS transponders for truckers; and more.

Members of the Truckload Carriers Association are urging shippers to join them in fighting proposed changes in the federal hours-of-service regulations governing truck drivers.

Illinois lawmakers responded to dizzyingly high fuel prices by suspending the state’s 5% sales tax on diesel and gasoline for six months.

Diesel at the pump stood at $1.432 on June 26 — 0.9 cents higher than the previous week — as the national average continued its three-month hover around the $1.41-a-gallon mark.

The Professional Truck Drivers Institute is walking slowly down the road to independence as a transition committee recommended the organization expand its certification program.

In the news this morning: Smithway Motor Xpress announces 500,000-share buyback; OTR Express warns of quarterly loss from fuel costs, slower business; tight job market provign to be a bad time for companies in union disputes; and more.