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The total U.S. Class 8 fleet dropped 2.1% in the 4th quarter of 2011 compared with the last quarter of 2010, as fleets continued to squeeze out their oldest trucks to bring freight capacity more into alignment with available loads, according to R.L. Polk & Co.

TAMPA, Fla. — Lee Long, the maintenance director of Southeastern Freight Lines and new chairman of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, said his biggest interest is drawing more people into work as heavy-duty technicians.

Trucking industry leaders, company associates and family members paid tribute to Don Schneider, the former president and CEO of Schneider National Inc., in a memorial service attended by an estimated 700 people at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., on Feb. 15. Schneider died in January after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Five companies in various trucking sectors recently announced diverse steps to increase driver compensation, as carriers tackle the growing need to keep and attract drivers in a strengthening freight environment.

Class 8 tractors have long been the standard for U.S. for-hire carriers, yet for certain service lines, even the most venerable of heavy-duty fleets are now buying Class 6 and 7 trucks and sometimes even smaller cargo vans.

Officials of brake manufacturer Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems said they are wrestling with the challenge of manufacturing and distributing replacement parts for a defective valve that could cause braking problems, which prompted federal and heavy-duty truck manufacturer recalls.

LAS VEGAS — Terry Dotson never set out to be a truck salesman, but he was so good on the lot selling big rigs that he rose eventually to be chairman and CEO of Worldwide Equipment Enterprises Inc.

American Trucking Associations installed a batch of 15 rooftop deck pavers at its Capitol Hill office last month, the latest of 46 pavers to be placed at the Washington, D.C., building, the group announced last week.

Truck-rail intermodal freight increased 4.9% in 2011 from the previous year, led by a strong gain in domestic shipments and putting last year’s volume in a virtual tie for the second-best annual volume ever, the Intermodal Association of North America reported.