Truck Industry Officials Wary of '07 Diesel Engine Changes

EW YORK — Even as the trucking industry continues to evaluate new diesel engines that hit the market in October, fleet officials expressed concerns about federally mandated emissions levels that Class 8 engines must meet in 2007.

Because they lack confidence in post-October engines, the officials said used-truck prices had continued to firm because carriers were repurchasing equipment they had turned back to the dealers rather than buy trucks with the new engines, which were mandated by new federal pollution rules.

Officials of several truckload carriers, along with industry researchers and analysts, said the industry in 2007 would be faced with buying more expensive, less reliable engines. That could disrupt Class 8 sales by creating a rush to buy older-model engines, a scenario similar to what happened when current federal emissions rules went into effect in October.

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