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A slowdown in demand for truck equipment is fueling competition among finance companies and commercial banks, which could lead to more consolidation in a sector that has seen a sell-off by the industry’s biggest player, company executives said.

CINCINNATI — The push to monitor the performance of truck drivers may soon extend beyond cameras in the cab and electronic logs.

Many of tomorrow’s truck tires are actually on the road today. They are being tested by private fleets hauling food and picking up trash. They are being run on test tracks in South Carolina and Texas. They are being driven over snow-covered roads in northern Canada and on logging trails in Central America.

The Cuban government is offering incentives to attract foreign investment in the Port of Mariel, with the goal of establishing the port as a major shipping point for goods moving throughout the Caribbean and to and from the United States.

While President Obama made headlines last week with a historic visit to Cuba, a delegation of U.S. transportation and logistics executives quietly met with Cuban government, academic and business representatives to lay the groundwork for restarting trade with the island nation once the U.S. embargo is lifted.

Internet search firm Google has just received a patent for what it calls an “autonomous delivery platform,” in which a self-driving box truck is used to deliver packages kept in locked compartments and accessed by customers using a smartphone or some other secure electronic device.