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Although carrier executives said they were optimistic about prospects for 2004, reports showed that demand for freight-hauling was still weak and unsteady as the new year began.

Trucking could see another round of initial public offerings and a sharp spike in the number of mergers and acquisitions this year as investors and fleets capitalize on the strengthening market for trucking stocks, analysts and industry officials said..

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Engine maker Cummins Inc. said it would make 20 to 30 heavy-duty engines available by mid-2005 for fleets and truck makers to field test as it prepares to meet more stringent federal emissions standards coming in 2007.

As the Environmental Protection Agency continues to tighten its pollution standards for diesel truck engines, manufacturers are similarly increasing the demands they place on oil companies for lubricants that can protect sophisticated vehicle power plants that run at higher temperatures.

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The Labor Department reported Friday the economy gained 1,000 jobs in December, while November's increase was revised down to 43,000 jobs from the 57,000 previously estimated..

A top priority for lawmakers and the freight-hauling industry when Congress comes back to work on Jan. 20 will be passing a 6-year transportation bill, government and industry leaders said.

Truck buyers late in 2003 bought up every available production slot of the Mercedes-Benz 4000 heavy-duty diesel engine, in what amounted to a “pre-buy” of the last major Class 8 engine that did not have to comply with the Oct. 1, 2002, tougher federal emissions rules.

After considering the issue for nearly five years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will not establish rules to settle the longstanding dispute over who must maintain intermodal equipment such as chassis.