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Government officials are putting truckloads of faith in technology to help reach the goal of 50% fewer truck-related fatalities by 2010, and manufacturers have responded by rolling out their first test vehicles under the Intelligent Vehicles Initiative.

The Laredo of yesteryear – the image is of a dusty, hot Texas border city with streets forever clogged by trucks — is gone. Trucks are still everywhere, but route changes have had a big impact on the city.

In the news this morning: Truck sales slip due to rise in fuel costs; Peterbilt announces layoffs in Tennessee; DaimlerChrysler reports solid quarter but warns of possible second-half slowdown; and more.

A group of institutional shareholders of Navistar International stock late Wednesday said they would call on the truck-making company’s board to consider drastic options including selling the entire company in order to boost a sagging stock price.

This afternoon's headlines: Alberta Infrastructure minister wants more trucking enforcement officers; trucking fatalities increased on Pa. roads in 1999, PennDOT reports; TranShopNet.com links with iLink Global for e-logistics service; and more.

Today's technology headlines: High-tech consumer trends boost fleet communications systems; survey finds distribution differs for retail vs. e-tail commerce; IBM's middleware offering permits data sharing between hand-helds; and more.

A financial consultant for trucking companies said the recently passed congressional bill that repeals estate and gift taxes has advantages for the industry and is not a tax that benefits only the wealthy as the White House has charged.

Researchers are testing devices in truck cabs that monitor driver fatigue, aiming to eventually replace hours-of-service rules with a box that will allow truckers to drive until they are measurably tired.

A federal report says the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration does not know how it will achieve Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater’s aim of cutting the number of truck-related deaths in half by 2009.