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The year 2000 bug got a lot of attention in 1999, but by Jan. 1, 2000, using the Internet to make money — or more precisely, lose money — was all the rage.

While trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico continued to expand under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Clinton administration for the fifth year refused to admit Nafta truckers from Mexico, drawing a rebuke, and possible penalties, from arbitrators. In Canada, as in the U.S., skyrocketing fuel prices drove many truckers to protest lines or to the brink.

Shipments of truck trailers continued to mirror the decline in the truck sales market as the yearlong slump intensified during October.

The Department of Justice last week approved Volvo AB’s bid to become the world’s second-largest truck maker by acquiring French truck maker Renault Vehicles Industriels — which includes Mack Trucks — if Volvo agrees to sell off part of its existing business.

The Environmental Protection Agency last week formally proposed its plan to improve air quality by fortifying standards for diesel fuel and the heavy-duty truck and bus engines that burn the fuel.

Last week saw the third consecutive fall in the average price of diesel, leaving fuel 10 cents cheaper than it was at the end of November. But that may not translate into much relief for trucking companies that turn fuel savings back to shippers in the form of lower surcharges.

Companies that operate delivery trucks in metropolitan areas own one of the hottest commodities in the advertising industry — a commodity so hot that some of the country’s largest advertisers, such as McDonald’s and Frito-Lay, have jumped on the bandwagon.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans a party Jan. 3 to celebrate its first anniversary, although its critics might prefer a roast to skewer the agency for its performance.

The nation’s largest maker of diesel engines for heavy-duty trucks is sharply cutting back production, laying off 1,000 workers and “fundamentally restructuring” its operations in response to year-end losses and continuing industry consolidation.