Nikola Motor Co. moved to differentiate itself further from rival Tesla Inc. by no longer requiring deposits on its upcoming trucks and returning deposits it has collected as it prepares to announce a major new fleet customer in early May.

A pair of recent events helped underscore the key role video is playing in fleet operations: Lytx, a video telematics provider, received a $700 million capital infusion from private equity firms; and Penske Logistics launched a video-based safety program in 2,800 of its heavy-duty trucks in its North America operations using equipment from SmartDrive Systems.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel rose 0.1 cent to $3.043 as oil remained near $63 a barrel amid ongoing uncertainty over a U.S. trade war with China.

Sales in February of used Class 8 trucks were flat year-over-year with the average price showing a modest uptick, ACT Research Co. reported as the formerly oversupplied market is in better shape.

An unsuccessful renegotiation of NAFTA would hurt the best for-hire freight environment in nearly 40 years, American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello said. However, barring that “self-imposed risk,” this strong freight cycle could last an additional 18 months or more, he said.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems reported it has sold 600,000 units of its electronic stability control program technology in North America since introducing the feature in 2005, and said demand is surging as new regulations take hold.

Dana Inc. announced March 29 that shareholders of the United Kingdom-based diversified manufacturer GKN plc voted to accept a rival bid for the company, ending Dana’s pursuit of GKN’s driveline division. London-based investment company Melrose Industries plc won 52% of the vote and will take over the company.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vendors selling everything a truck driver could want filled the West Wing of the Mid-America Trucking Show like an industrial-grade flea market. Alongside them, fleet recruiters angled from their booths to chat with drivers who strolled the crowded aisles.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel rose 3.8 cents to $3.010 as the potential for conflict in the Middle East rose, lifting the price of crude above $65. It was the first increase in the average price of diesel after six consecutive declines that saw the price per gallon drop by 11.4 cents since Feb. 5.