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PRINCETON, N.J. — New federal safety regulations soon will drive a wave of purchases by U.S. trucking companies that have not yet adopted electronic onboard recorders and mobile communication systems that closely monitor driver performance, a technology vendor here said.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Truck makers and dealers have called for a 10% investment tax credit to smooth out the buying cycle of the cleaner burning but more expensive trucking equipment. 

Consumer confidence grew this month to its highest level since September 2008, the New York-based Conference Board reported.

New Jersey plans to close bathrooms at two more highway rest stops due to budget cutbacks this year, a move that has renewed calls to allow states to lease rest areas to private truck stop operators.

Trucking has a seat on a newly-created transition team that is supposed to set the future course of the Illinois Tollway but higher tolls are not in trucking’s future, the industry representative said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released the 2010 fees for the Unified Carrier Registration program Monday, more than doubling the levy across the board but setting it slightly lower than the agency had proposed last year.

CINCINNATI — Concern about driver safety compliance is pushing the purchase of new technology to help fleet managers to see and respond to data on driver performance, manufacturers of the equipment said.

The good news continued to pour in last week, as a string of trucking-related companies reported improving bottom-line results during the year’s first quarter.

Regarding electronic logs and Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, if they want to regulate this industry, they should just do it and make sure we get paid — and get us hourly and overtime pay.