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By far, the biggest issues telematics device makers faced in 2011 were the wrangling over a final rule on electronic onboard recorders and potential changes to hours of service.

A protracted battle about international trade negotiations appears to have ended in 2011, and for the second time in recent years, the United States agreed to grant Mexican motor carriers the right to operate beyond the 25-mile border zone.

Truck/rail freight’s steady growth trajectory continued in 2011, buoyed by domestic intermodal service that apparently continued to attract more over-the-road freight as truck capacity tightened.

Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks named new presidents of their respective North American sales and marketing divisions, effective Jan. 1.

This year was the first in which all truck manufacturers had their “vertical integration” model up and running, offering trucks with their own engines — the same way cars are sold.

With membership up, the grip of recession loosening and a healthier if leaner budget, American Trucking Associations ends 2011 reflective of the carriers that make up its ranks, ATA President Bill Graves said.

State transportation departments desperate for money to pay for projects took steps toward imposing new tolls or increasing existing ones in 2011, often inviting disdain from the trucking industry.

The federal government’s regulatory agenda held trucking’s attention throughout 2011, with proposals including a requirement for electronic onboard recorders on all trucks — and a plan to revise hours-of-service rules for truck drivers.

Motor carriers spent all of 2011 waiting for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to announce its latest hours-of-service rule.