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Crossing the Hudson River into New York City will take as much as a 75% bigger bite from truckers’ wallets if the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s proposed toll increase goes through.

If Charles Dickens were writing about U.S. Class 8 truck sales in 2000, he might have said: “It was almost the best of years; it was the worst of years.”

George W. Bush may have won the 2000 election, but organized labor made its voice heard, securing victories for Vice President Al Gore in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Washington, providing the margin of victory for labor-backed senatorial candidates in at least four states and beating back anti-union referendums in Oregon and Colorado.

Recognizing that information management is a key component of moving freight, the American Trucking Associations Maintenance Council will reorganize to promote integration of advanced communications and logistics technology into the computer systems on a standard truck.

An online logistics provider is jumping into a market that has thus far failed to produce any clear winners.

Yellow Corp. will consolidate its regional carriers — distilling them from four into two — to improve service for shippers, generate more profits for shareholders and perhaps attract the attention of investors eager to purchase a large less-than-truckload carrier.

The General Accounting Office issued a report criticizing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for failing to collect data on accident causes on the same day the agency announced a new truck crash-causation study.

When the Oklahoma Legislature opens its 2001 session on Feb. 5, it will take up several proposals of interest to trucking, including setting up a single agency for handling permits and licensing and expanding the use of overload permits.

Truckers need to brace for millions of dollars, or more likely tens of millions of dollars, in additional toll charges for the privilege of operating in and around New York City.