���ϳԹ���

Does the Department of Transportation’s inspector general have the authority to go after trucking companies suspected of serious violations of federal motor carrier safety regulations? Inspector General Kenneth M. Mead and DOT say yes. Attorney Anthony J. McMahon, representing a half-dozen companies he says were “raided” by agents from the Office of Inspector General, says absolutely not.

The Western Governors Association weighed in on the issue of bigger, heavier trucks last week but shied away from seeking federal approval for wider use of longer combination vehicles. The governors voted June 15 to ask the Department of Transportation to study the operation of LCVs and other high-payload trucks in the West.

This city features a scaled-down Manhattan skyline, a pyramid not quite as large as some of those built by the pharaohs, and other replicas of familiar sights from somewhere else. So perhaps it’s not surprising that Las Vegas was host to something that looked a lot like a major trucking show — only smaller.

A “town meeting” on hours-of-service regulations that featured a top federal regulator had nothing to do with new truck equipment but it was one of the highlights of the International Trucking Show.

Meritor Automotive will fold its transmission business into a joint operation with ZF Friedrichshafen AG, marking the second venture this year for the German manufacturer aimed at segments of the medium- and heavy-duty truck markets in North America.

North American truck manufacturers sold 22,499 Class 8 trucks in May, prompting a leading industry analyst to call 1999 sales “about as good as we have seen since the advent of the diesel age.”

As the driver of Eaton’s “innovation” truck approached a slow-moving car, a single beep from a small box on the dashboard of the cab indicated that the truck was within two seconds of a collision if the car stopped suddenly. The Eaton-Vorad collision warning system, along with other high-tech gadgets, was on display during a June 14 demonstration that gave Transport Topics a look at Eaton’s view of the future truck.

One cash-strapped state has passed a measure to increase its fuel tax, and at least three others are considering similar laws to aid their highway funding woes. The Maine Legislature approved a 3-cent fuel tax increase and a $2 vehicle registration fee hike on June 5. Kentucky, Oregon and Virginia are considering raising pump prices — one of the most significant expenses for trucking companies.

United Parcel Service has established a land-based radio system that provides customers real-time tracking information in a way that cuts the package carrier’s cellular network costs. UPS worked with Motorola Corp. to develop and deploy the system, known as DIAD III, at a cost of $100 million. It is being used in 13 metropolitan areas, the carrier said.