ECONOMICS FORGE
Change
Th P
The Panama C l
Canal,
fuel prices, maintenance
concerns and the driver
shortage are altering heavy
trucks
Tom Berg • Senior Editor
48 HDT
• DECEMBER 2013
I
s trucking in for a transformation? Many believe that
long-haul trucking will become less important as
regional operations grow and intermodal takes over
more long-haul freight, and that will change the type
of heavy-duty tractor bought by many trucking companies.
Meanwhile, previously identified trends in equipment,
such as smaller and slower-revving diesels, automated transmissions and air disc brakes, continue, as does interest in
natural gas engines, according to original equipment manufacturers we interviewed for our annual Class 8 update.
In truck sales, it's a good year but not a great year. The
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