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LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Truck and engine manufacturers at the Mid-America Trucking Show here declared natural gas the victor in the industry’s search for a practical alternative fuel to diesel, saying they could have three different types of natural-gas engines by 2013 and a nationwide network of 100 fueling stations that offer it by 2014.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The two major manufacturers of cooling units for refrigerated trailers said that they have devised new technology that will meet federal emissions mandates for small diesel engines that take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

IdleAir, which provides truck stop electrification services, said it has opened a location on Interstate 10 in Benson, Ariz., its 26th station in the United States.

Why do cars run into tractor-trailers stopped on the shoulders of roads? How could anyone miss seeing a tractor-trailer? It happens all too frequently.

The Mid-America Trucking Show, held every March in Louisville, Ky., is the nation’s largest trucking show and a wonderful barometer of what is going on in the industry.

Congress is considering several bills providing extensions of tax breaks for trucking, including renewal of the bonus depreciation for capital spending on items including trucks.

Federal officials could reduce the number of fleets that evade enforcement penalties by gaining new operating authority if they closely compared new motor carriers’ information to old carriers that had legal issues, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Several interest groups currently challenging the federal government’s hours-of-service rule said they will ask an appeals court to reduce the maximum daily driving limit to less than 11 hours, reject the rule’s definition of driver off-duty time and eliminate the 34-hour restart provision.

With the House seemingly unable to agree on a new federal transportation funding program, Congress voted last week to extend existing funding levels for another 90 days, averting a shutdown of the nation’s highway safety and construction programs.

Changes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety ratings program that place additional emphasis on hazardous materials handling are apparently causing a steep spike in scores of some carriers with otherwise “exemplary” safety records, an executive with American Trucking Associations said last week.