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The medium-duty truck market in the United States may not rack up sales numbers as large as the heavy-duty, Class 8 category, but it has the attention of Japanese truck makers.

A continuing slump in the shipments of van trailers pulled overall trailer shipments down 8.1% in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period in 1999, according to the latest figures.

The Truckload Carriers Association passed a resolution encouraging members to hire drivers who have passed training courses certified by TCA’s Professional Truck Driver Institute.

FedEx Corp.’s $1.2 billion purchase of American Freightways Corp. will create a super-regional less-than-truckload carrier that both brings some consolidation to a sector of the industry and issues a fresh challenge to transportation powerhouse and rival United Parcel Service.

Congressional Republicans say they will mount an effort to stop new workplace ergonomics rules from being implemented when they return to Washington early next month.

A top Teamsters union official, in what could be a significant turning point in relations with trucking management, pledged to work with trucking companies to increase productivity, improve workplace safety and attract new employees to the industry.

In one corner are the truckers and their customers who believe they can improve their economic productivity by increasing the capacity of a trailer for additional cargo weight or more cubic space.

The checks are in the mail for nearly 24,000 small trucking companies.

Diesel prices dropped for the fourth week in a row, but prices likely will remain high this winter because fuel supplies are not keeping up with demand.