Truck makers and their suppliers still face years of change and innovation, largely caused by staggered federal rules covering emissions, but for tarp manufacturer Pioneer, innovation is customer- and service-driven.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said May 10 it supports creating a new safety mandate requiring side underride guards on semitrailers to help reduce a leading cause of truck-involved accident fatalities. The move follows a March visit to Capitol Hill from citizen advocates who presented lawmakers with draft language of a bill requiring more underride protection on various trucks.

Nikola Motor Co. is considering several changes related to its planned hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks, the com­pany told those who have made reservations and placed refundable deposits. Those changes include chassis design and leasing options.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said May 10 it supports creating a new safety mandate requiring side underride guards on semitrailers to help reduce a leading cause of truck-involved accident fatalities.

Nikola Motor Co. is considering several changes related to its planned hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks, the company told those who have made reservations and placed refundable deposits. Those changes include chassis design and leasing options.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced it will spend $500 million over the next five years to enhance its operating systems, develop cloud infrastructure and create what it said would be “innovative and disruptive technologies” for use in its supply chain.

Three leading commercial vehicle suppliers notched quar­terly gains in net income and revenue for the period ended March 31, while a fourth sup­plier posted declines in both ­areas but expressed optimism that its financial performance would improve later this year.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped 1.2 cents to $2.583 a gallon as oil prices remained below $50 a barrel and U.S. rig counts pushed higher. 

Truck makers are putting their respective names on more and more of the key components in the Class 8 trucks they build, expanding on their earlier move into manufacturing proprietary engines. They’re now adding axles, transmissions, collision mitigation systems and even fluids.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The emergence of Uber-style transactions in the freight industry will not replace brokers, experts in the segment said while acknowledging a surge in both the number of new motor carriers and mobile apps to locate freight.