Retail sales of heavy-duty trucks dropped 9.7% in May from the same month in 2002, as declines for four truck brands more than offset increases for the rest.

PHOENIX — Clean air regulators in California will require heavy-duty 2007-model trucks registered in the state to have electronic connections for checking emissions and diagnostic data, but they have not decided what kind of connection to require, according to a panel of experts at the recent Technology & Maintenance Council summer meeting here.

PHOENIX — Three of the top truck manufacturing executives in North America assured their customers that they would produce lower-emissions vehicles in plenty of time to meet new U.S. pollution rules, but didn’t agree on how they would do so.

PHOENIX — The Technology and Maintenance Council formed a new task force to determine guidelines for adding security-related technology to trucks, including remote disabling of the vehicle, and to address possible liability consequences.

It may take several more months to get a clear picture of the progress refiners are making toward meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s new standard requiring widespread availability of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel by mid-2006, people closely following the issue said. br clear=all>

Without assurance of a ready supply of the cleanest possible fuel, say the manufacturers of diesel engines, no new engine design alone would be able to reduce nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter by another 90% or more, which is what the 2007 federal diesel emission standards require..

Retail sales of Class 8 trucks rose 3.6% in April from the same month in 2002, as five truck makers increased sales but three others showed declines.

Truck No. 162, a pioneering cab-over-engine truck that was the handiwork of Consolidated Freightways founder Leland James, is going on the auction block.

The International Truck and Engine Corp. said it would increase the build rate on July 21 at a facility where production includes medium-duty cabs and chassis, but the company downplayed the notion that the medium-duty truck market had strengthened.

The Environmental Protection Agency, addressing what it called a "misunderstanding" in the trucking industry, said it did not necessarily oppose selective catalytic reduction as a diesel emissions treatment to meet stringent 2007 standards.