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The National Industrial Transportation League, which focused almost single-mindedly on deregulating ocean carriage, is now looking to tackle problems ashore. NITL President Edward M. Emmett is paying greater attention to surface transportation issues, especially trucking.

A settlement between the Department of Transportation, Georgia transportation officials and environmental groups will cut off funding for 44 of the 61 road improvement projects in the Atlanta area, including work on interchanges of Interstates 20, 75 and 285.

Truckers now can pull into one of 220 truck stops and get in-cab access to the Internet thanks to a new service offered by PNV.net. The company - formerly Park ’N View - offers Internet service as part of a plan to “become a comprehensive connectivity and information provider,” said its CEO Robert May.

Damage caused by clogged air brake valves could be prevented using a product designed to flush contaminants and water from trailer air lines, according to AlliedSignal officials. The company hopes to have the Bendix trailer system-guard air dryer on the market in October.

Mexican motor carriers have been found operating illegally in 28 U.S. states — far beyond the narrow border zones to which they are restricted, according to the Department of Transportation’s inspector general, Kenneth Mead. His finding was made public at a June 24 Capitol Hill press conference by Reps. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), Rep. Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.) and Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, who jointly called for an investigation of the extent of the problem.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down two victories for trucking company management last week, placing strict limits on who can sue their employers under the Americans With Disabilities Act. In the case most crucial to the industry, the court ruled unanimously that a truck driver who is nearly blind in one eye cannot sue his employer for discrimination, after the grocery store chain fired him because of his disability.

Nine northeastern states have banded together to get tough on trucks that pollute the air. Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont agreed to begin roadside smoke testing and ticketing trucks and buses that are in violation by July 1, 2001.

Investors may be shunning trucking stocks, but a small but growing number of firms think there is money to be made in owning truck terminals. Long viewed as a financial backwater, freight terminals are being touted as good long-term investments and a way for trucking companies to free up money to invest in other parts of their business.

In a continuation of the yo-yo-like gyrations that many analysts said were over, the national average price of diesel fuel has risen 2.3 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, after dropping 2.4 cents over the previous four weeks. On June 21, the price stood at $1.082 a gallon, 1.4 cents above the previous week’s level of $1.068 and 0.1 cent below the level on May 10, according to the Department of Energy.