Business

California environmental regulators said they are beginning to enforce the state’s five-minute idling limit for diesel-fueled commercial vehicles, including those with sleeper cabs.

Engineering standards group ASTM International published four new final standards for biodiesel on Oct. 13.

An index of leading economic indicators improved in September, the New York-based Conference Board said Monday.

Vehicle parts manufacturer Eaton Corp. said Monday its third-quarter net earnings rose, but the company cut its full-year forecast due to economic conditions.

Heavy-duty truck sales in the United States grew for the fourth straight month in September, but year-to-date results remained weak and the recent national economic chaos led to a sharp drop in new orders during September.

Daimler AG, citing a “fundamental change” in the heavy-duty vehicle market, will drop its Sterling Trucks brand and cut North American production capacity 20% by closing two factories, including its one-time flagship plant in Portland, Ore., the company’s top executive said last week.

Six years after the first generation of Environmental Protection Agency-compliant diesel engines was introduced, fleet operators said there is little doubt the cleaner-burning engines cost more to maintain and operate.

Less-than-truckload carrier YRC Worldwide issued new shares of common stock and used the issue to buy back debt in an effort to save about $600,000 a year in interest payments, Bloomberg reported Friday.

U.S. consumer confidence rose this month compared with August but was down slightly from a preliminary reading two weeks ago, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan’s preliminary monthly consumer sentiment index, released Friday.