Technology Briefs - Dec. 20 - Dec. 26

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The Latest Headlines:

• McLeod, Maptuit Set Partnership
• EU Eyes Stricter Emissions Standards on Cars, Trucks
• German Truck Tolls Raise $3.4 Billion

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McLeod, Maptuit Set Partnership

McLeod Software said it has partnered with Maptuit Corp. to integrate systems made by the two firms.

The partnership will integrate Maptuit’s FleetNav system into McLeod’s LoadMaster v7 enterprise transportation management software, McLeod said in a statement.

The integration will give LoadMaster enterprise software users with turn-by-turn directions, optimized fuel plans for single-point or multi-point routes on truck-designated roads and fleet-monitoring capabilities, the company said.

“The integration of the FleetNav Navigation Suite into LoadMaster will give our customers the ability increase efficiencies by creating more accurate, consistent, safe and cost-effective routes between locations,” said Rick Halbrooks, McLeod’s vice president of sales and marketing. Transport Topics

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EU Eyes Stricter Emissions Standards on Cars, Trucks

European Union regulators called for cuts of at least 20% in car exhaust and proposed quotas for governments to buy low-emissions buses and trucks, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The stricter controls would cost about $2 billion a year to put in place, a commission cost-benefit analysis said, Bloomberg reported.

Cleaner diesels also may boost European automakers' sales in the United States and elsewhere, Bloomberg said.

The measures, which require the approval of EU governments and the European Parliament, are part of a broader program to fight air pollution that the commission says would save 60,000 lives annually by 2020 at a cost of about $8.4 billion. Transport Topics

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German Truck Tolls Raise $3.4 Billion

Germany's highway truck-toll system, developed by three companies including DaimlerChrysler AG, will raise about $3.4 billion in revenue next year, Bloomberg reported.

The money will be used to support transportation projects including improving railway tracks and roads as well as inland shipping, German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said at a press conference Wednesday.

There are no plans to extend the toll to trucks or cars under 12 tons, he said. This year, the truck tolls generated about $3.4 billion, Bloomberg said.

DaimlerChrysler is the parent company of U.S. truck maker Freightliner LLC and engine maker Detroit Diesel Corp. Transport Topics

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