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Sales of Class 8 tractors blazed a record-setting pace through 1999, and a series of foreign mergers and deals changed the landscape of the truck-making industry.

Efforts to increase trucking productivity took many forms in 1999 as some trucking groups pushed for allowing big rigs to carry heavier loads and railroads were prodded to allow greater access to their tracks..

To say that 1999 was dominated by concerns over the rollover into a new millennium would ignore dramatic progress made in trucking-related technologies.

A trend toward using the Internet to conduct supply chain transactions and establish trading marketplaces was spearheaded on a large scale by the automotive industry in 1999.

The waning days of 1999 brought on an announcement that some feared would set the stage for a sequel to that shippers’ horror flick, “Nightmare on the Conrail Lines.”

For years, some automobile and light truck drivers have enjoyed the luxury of automatic self-dimming rearview mirrors to reduce the blinding glare from headlights at night.

Schneider Logistics is expanding its role in business-to-business electronic marketplaces by distributing products ordered through Plasticsnet.com.

Surface Transportation Board Chairman Linda J. Morgan has some advice for employees of the new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: work hard and work fast.

The Federal Highway Administration will look into the issue of whether trucks hauling trash, home fuel oil and cement should be exempt from current federal weight limits.

A booming economy generated strong demand for freight hauling, but rising costs for fuel, equipment, insurance and driver wages took a toll on many fleets in 1999.