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It wasn’t so long ago that the rail and trucking industries were grudgingly brought to the intermodal table by a few maritime companies, which were looking for ways to move their loads of freight more quickly and cheaply.

The stage appeared set for a knock-down, drag-out fight as representatives of trucking, railroads and ports were lined up to talk about the usually volatile issue of increasing productivity.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Mark VII Transportation Co. are planning to go where no intermodal service has gone before, launching a high-speed, dedicated train service for temperature-controlled products between Southern California and Chicago.

Amtrak Mail & Express is ordering an additional 129 RoadRailer units to keep up with growing demand for its cross-country shipping service.

International Asset Systems introduced an Internet service that allows shipping lines, container lessors and intermodal companies to exchange information about equipment availability and location.

More than 1,000 truckers in Pennsylvania will have to retake a portion of their commercial driver license exam due to problems discovered at two third-party testing centers.

Truck trailers have evolved at a slower pace than the rest of the industry, but they are catching up fast — going from little more than boxes on wheels to high-tech cargo carriers — according to manufacturers.

Is the trailer leasing business recession-proof? Not quite, “but this is almost the case,” said Michael J. Phelan, VP of Associated Rental Systems.

East Coast toll authorities are eager to develop a national system for electronic toll collection, but they face a long road ahead.