Autonomous

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.WASHINGTON — Shippers would like to see a switch to larger trucks, and U.S. safety inspectors monitoring size-and-weight rules could have more technology at their disposal in the coming years, according to a Transportation Research Board panel discussion here.

Crude oil futures posted their biggest one-day gain Tuesday since September 2005, rising on forecasts of continuing cold weather and expectations of a stronger U.S. economy, Bloomberg reported.

Heavy-duty truck maker Paccar said Tuesday its fourth-quarter profit rose 22% to $380.5 million or $1.52 a share, from $312.9 million or $1.22 a year earlier.

Components maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said its fiscal first-quarter earnings fell to $7 million or 10 cents a share, from $34 million or 49 cents a year earlier, as it said it faced challenges from the automotive, light-duty and heavy-duty truck segments.

Truck manufacturer Freightliner LLC plans to lay off about 800 of its 1,700 workers in Portland, Ore., and stop making Freightliner trucks in that city, the Associated Press reported.

Tank truck carrier Quality Distribution lowered its earnings guidance for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, due to lower seasonal demand.

The president of trucking software provider TMW Systems said he does not expect a slowdown in sales this year, even as some trucking companies face a downturn in demand for freight-hauling services.

The maintenance managers of two vehicle leasing companies expect few problems in their shops as the truck-operating industry shifts to the next generation of lower-emission diesel engines.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index jumped 3.9% in December, following a 3.6% downturn in November.

Truckload carrier USA Truck on Thursday reported its fourth-quarter profit plunged to $1.2 million or 11 cents a share, from $4.3 million or 37 cents a year earlier, on lower tonnage and demand.