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While other carriers were debating whether to buy even one Class 8 truck with a 2007 EPA-certified engine, Mike Hasinec at Penske Truck Leasing Co. was knee-deep in testing 2007 engine performance.

Ryder System’s fourth-quarter profit rose 12% to $65.8 million or $1.08 cents a share, from $58.8 million or 92 cents a year earlier.

Truckload carrier Landstar System’s fourth-quarter net income fell to $28.7 million or 50 cents a share, from $41.8 million or 70 cents a year earlier.

LAS VEGAS — Leading heavy-duty truck components manufacturers said technology exists today to build a safer, environmentally friendly and low-cost heavy-duty “world truck,” but major obstacles are consumer acceptance and the lack of a single global standard for emissions and safety technology.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia Inc. said Thursday it has acquired Wisconsin-based LTL company Madison Freight Systems for about $2.5 million.

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.

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. Monday reported record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and full-year 2006, with sales topping $3 billion in the quarter for the first time.

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.