May 18, 2000 9:39 AM, EDT

P.M. Executive Briefing - May 18

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This Afternoon's Headlines:

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Diesel Engine Manufacturers Fume Over EPA Initiative

Big Rigs To Be Banned From Left Lane of Houston Freeway

NLRB Investigating Death Threats in Teamsters Action

Wall Street Journal Correction

Diesel Engine Manufacturers Fume Over EPA Initiative

Diesel engine makers are trying to determine how they can meet the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed environmental rules by 2007, as would be required under the proposal.

A spokesman for the engine- and oil-industry group Diesel Technology Forum said the proposal marks the first time the agency has "recogniz[ed] that engines and fuel are both parts of an integrated diesel power system."

Cummins Engine's Christine Vujovich said manufacturers will have to install aftertreatment in the exhaust system to come anywhere near the strict environmental levels the agency proposes. Navistar's Roy Wiley says the cost of needed parts would add some $5,000 to the price of a school bus.

The EPA says thousands of respiratory diseases and premature deaths are caused each year by smog and particulate matter. Agence France Presse (05/18/00)

Big Rigs To Be Banned From Left Lane of Houston Freeway

The Houston city council is expected to approve in June a measure that would prohibit trucks from using the left lane of part of Interstate 10 between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., with a $200 fine for violators. The council discussed the proposal at its Wednesday meeting, attended by a truck-drivers' union local that supported the ban due to safety concerns.

Truck inspections have been stepped up in the wake of a number of fatal 1999 accidents; police have inspected some 3,000 trucks in the last six months and put 54% of them out of service. Associated Press (05/18/00)

NLRB Investigating Death Threats in Teamsters Action

The National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint against Teamsters Local 505 in Charleston, W.Va, about death threats made by a union bargaining committee member against an employee of bottling company Coca-Cola Consolidated.

The company charges that the union has shown a "pattern of vandalism, intimidation, and threats of violence" and that the union has not heeded the company's complaints; among the violent acts that have taken place during the strike were shots directed at the company's trucks. Heavy Duty Trucking Online (05/18/00)

Wall Street Journal Correction

The Wall Street Journal ran a correction in Thursday's edition regarding an article about FedEx that ran in the Wednesday edition of the newspaper. The Wednesday article incorrectly said FedEx expects a reorganization and a new home-delivery service to add $250 million in revenue for FY2001; the correct figure is $400 million. Wall Street Journal (05/18/00) P. A2