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In the news this morning: Mich. produce firm executives sentenced for altering driver logs; Texas turns to lasers to aid in truck safety; and Michigan State Police say truckers aren't all speed demons.

This afternoon's headlines: Volvo, Lockheed Martin build heavy-duty hybrid; Rollins earnings hit by acquisition, Y2K costs; and Heartland Express posts higher fourth-quarter earnings.

An Oklahoma Republican is fighting a plan by a Democratic lawmaker that would drastically increase state truck registration costs.

The Transportation Department’s Research and Special Programs Administration is soliciting public comment on a new set of rules governing the transport of radioactive materials.

In the news this morning: Federal law expected to halt rate drop att U.S.-Mexico border; Coal haulers test W.Va. weight limits; and Idaho study finds no safety threat from slower,heavier trucks.

Diesel fuel prices surged in the Northeast as cold weather pinched heating oil supplies. The price in the New England region skyrocketed to $1.836 from $1.441 a week earlier.

Much has been written and said about the shortage of qualified drivers facing the trucking industry. But an often underreported problem exists, and that is the equally threatening shortage of truck technicians.

A blast of bitter cold throughout the Northeast is being blamed for a 6.7-cents-a-gallon leap in the retail price of diesel fuel in New England, but the average national price, remained steady.

In recent years, California truckers and environmentalists have tussled over diesel emissions in what could be the opening skirmishes of a coming national war over truck exhaust.