For the first time in its history, the North American Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) voted October 18 to approve a push to boost the allowable truck weight on U.S. highways to 88,000 pounds on any existing five-axle tractor-trailer combination.

Audi officials on October 19 touted the environmental benefits of U.S. diesel cars running on Rentech biomass-to-liquids (BTL) Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel, at publicity events including one with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).

Caterpillar’s Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) division announced October 20 that it won a contract for six “SD70ACS” heavy-duty diesel-electric locomotives from Mauritania mining operation SNIM.

The sluggish North American economy rather than diesel fuel price volatility now tops commercial freight trucking industry worries, according to the latest annual American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) survey released October 18.

MAN announced October 15 that it has received regulatory approvals for “Tier 1” emissions retrofits on diesel engines installed on ships built from 1990 to 1999.

Cummins announced October 18 that it has shipped about 37,000 heavy-duty diesel engines meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010 emissions standards, all with urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) exhaust technology for nitrogen oxides (NOx) control.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced October 15 that by spring 2012 it will have installed emissions-testing equipment for two-stroke, low-speed marine diesel engines at the company’s Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works in Hyogo, Japan.

While the mystery continues over whether ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) may in some cases be contributing to corrosion of petroleum storage tanks, pumps, lines and meters, corrosion attributed to ULSD could be seen as a temporary “stimulant” to the petroleum equipment industry business.

U.S. Energy Information (EIA) on October 20 released a report recapping the huge growth of profitable U.S. middle distillate exports – and cites growing opportunities in the sector.

Biodiesel alkali and alkaline metals are attacking diesel emissions control devices, according to a new National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study.

ExxonMobil announced October 21 that it has completed commissioning of hydroprocessing units to produce ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) at its 576,000 barrels/day (b/d) Baytown, Texas, refinery and its 504,000 b/d Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery.

Essar Oil reported October 18 that after-tax profit for fiscal second quarter 2010-2011 jumped to Rs 130 crore (US$293 million) compared to a loss of Rs 94 crore (US$212 million) in fiscal 2Q 2009-2010.

PetroChina reportedly boosted wholesale diesel prices in early October by CNY50/ton (US$7.50/ton) while Sinopec was even more aggressive, hiking diesel by CNY150/tom (US$22/ton), according to an October 18 report from Caixin news service.

Canadian diesel and gasoline fuels are just as good as U.S. fuels, so no changes are required, according to a report released this month by Environment Canada.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced October 14 that his country’s annual expenditure of more than US$13 billion (N1.989 trillion) on purchase of diesel to run generator-sets is “unacceptable.”

With Kenya now switching from relatively high-sulfur diesel fuel to relatively low-sulfur (500 parts per million) diesel, price hikes are expected.

India government price controls on diesel, kerosene and LP-Gas are costing Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) losses of about US$17 million/day, according to an October 18 report from Religare Technova news service.

Ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) spot prices in North America and Europe moved upward late last week thanks to French refinery strikes and rumors of some U.S. refinery maintenance, although futures prices were weaker than in the prior week. Asia distillates weakened.

Spot ULSD prices moved up last week thanks to continuing refinery strikes in France.