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Lofty goals for the widespread use of clean alternative fuels at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., are running into market realities as drayage operators ignore liquefied natural gas engines and instead buy less-expensive diesel trucks.

Freight railroads are facing their stiffest legislative challenge in three decades, as a bill that would make the first changes to the industry’s competitive environment since 1980 is slated for a Senate vote in a matter of weeks.

Prices of most key commodities used in making heavy trucks have dropped 50% or more since last year, but price reductions for tires, components and trucks have been difficult to find.

Twenty-seven years ago at a bankruptcy sale, New England Motor Freight bought 22 acres at the Port of New York & New Jersey for just over $1 million.

The average price of retail diesel in the United States slipped another 1.6 cents last week to $2.185 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported, even as crude oil hit a five-month high.

I agree wholeheartedly with op-ed writer Ryan McDonald’s opinion on the value of tail-ride checks, when they are performed by safety professionals. These on-the-road driver observations are an integral part of my company’s services to the Canadian transportation industry.

If you have any doubts about the future direction of fuel prices, pay attention to what’s happening today.

BOSTON — Volvo Trucks North America said the United States should adopt a policy of allowing longer, heavier trucks on the nation’s highways as a way to increase driver productivity and to conserve fuel.

First-quarter U.S. worker productivity improved at an 0.8% annual rate in the first quarter, the Labor Department said Thursday.