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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Provisions that would have allowed states to permit larger, heavier trucks on interstate highways were voted down last week, just days after the highway reauthorization bill containing the measures was introduced in the House of Representatives.

U.S. truckers closed out the year with a surge of heavy-duty truck buying that led to the highest-volume month and highest-volume year since 2006, according to data from WardsAuto.com. Sales boomed 78.3% in December and 59.9% for the year, compared with 2010.

The federal government’s chief truck overseer defended her agency’s controversial changes to the 34-hour restart provisions of the hours-of-service rule and vowed to continue efforts to cut the hours drivers may be behind the wheel.