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“18 Wheels of Justice,” a new television series heavily promoted to trucking audiences, made its Jan. 12 debut on The Nashville Network. Maybe it’ll get better, but right now this is a cable television show made to order for a smart-alecky reviewer.

When it comes to avoiding traffic congestion, truckers are at the mercy of their customers, according to studies released at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., from Jan. 9 to 13.

Government officials will have to tackle some tough issues if they hope to accommodate increased freight on the nation’s highways, Transportation Research Board members wrote in their outlook for the 21st century.

The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking public comment on whether railroad cars should be fitted with reflective materials that would make it easier to see them at grade crossings.

The leadership of the Truckload Carriers Association has recommended the group integrate with American Trucking Associations, a key tenet of the larger group’s reorganization plan.

Sales of Class 8 trucks in December pushed 1999’s retail total to 262,316 units, shattering the record of 1998 by nearly 53,000 vehicles.

The Northeast may never again have the levels of rail freight service achieved by Conrail. That assessment comes not from what Norfolk Southern and CSX representatives said during a meeting with shippers Jan. 11, but from what they refused to say.

Trucker pay will finally start to go up industrywide this year, under pressure from a pervasive driver shortage, and the money to fund those raises will come from shippers in the form of rate increases, according to five industry experts who participated in Transport Topics’ 11th annual Management Outlook Forum.

Better pay for over-the-road truck drivers leads to a better safety record, a study has concluded.