A toddler was killed when his father accidentally ran over him with a Pickup truck.

The father didn’t realize the 20-month-old had followed him out of the family’s apartment Wednesday, according to the Redlands Police Department.

Police said that as the father pulled away from the curb, he felt a bump. Getting out, he realized he had run over the boy, who died at the scene.

Department spokesman Carl Baker said investigators were not considering charges against the father because it appeared to be an accident.

Port authorities Monday are set to approve a $35 “dirty truck” fee on all loaded containers moved by truck in and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The fee would be collected beginning June 1, 2008, and would help subsidize the replacement of an estimated 14,000 diesel rigs now serving the sprawling seaport complex.

Long Beach harbor commissioners are expected to approve the fee at their 1 p.m. board meeting Monday, while authorities in Los Angeles will vote on an identical plan for their port Thursday.

“Diesel trucks are a major source of port-related air pollution and present an unacceptable health risk to the public,” said Richard Steinke, executive director of the Port of Long Beach.

Harbor trucks are blamed for fouling the air with diesel soot and contributing to increased cancer, asthma and heart disease rates in local communities.

The fee, collected by marine terminal operators, would apply to all truck-moved containers through 2012 or until nearly all harbor trucks are replaced with models meeting federal 2007 emission standards.

New trucks emit up to 90 percent less pollution than older models.

Retailers and shippers will pay the impact fee. But many of them believe it will eventually raise the cost of consumer goods.

Authorities estimate the fee will generate up to $1.6 billion by 2012. State and local clean-air grants will contribute another $180 million for truck replacement, with money distributed to truck drivers and motor carriers beginning about mid-2008.

The money is being raised to help the industry comply with progressive emission regulations adopted by the ports in November.

Those rules initially ban all pre-1989 drayage trucks by Oct. 1, 2008, then grow increasingly strict through 2012, when all harbor trucks would need to meet 2007 EPA emissions standards - either through vehicle replacement or, in the case of trucks built after 1994, retrofit with a particulate filter.

“Because we’re insisting that truck replacement be done so quickly, we’re going to (financially) assist them so we can ensure that containers continue to move and truck drivers don’t just walk away from the port,” said Port of Long Beach Spokesman Art Wong.

Exempt from the fee are containers moved off the waterfront by train and empty containers.

Also, trucks moving a container from one terminal to the next would only pay once, Wong said.

Port staff are developing a program to distribute the money, and reportedly plan to use PierPASS for collection purposes.

PierPASS, a nonprofit agency, was established to collect fees on containers moved during peak traffic hours as a way to mitigate traffic and congestion problems in local ports.

Authorities are also developing a separate container fee to fund infrastructure projects, which they plan to announce in coming weeks.

In addition, State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has proposed a $30 container fee for infrastructure and environmental projects that he hopes to pass in Sacramento in 2008. That fee would apply to the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland.

The meeting begins at 1 p.m. Monday at the Port of Long Beach Administration building at 925 Harbor Plaza.

Approval is required by a majority of the five-member commission.

As the U.S. in general and California in particular mandate tougher emission rules on trucks and the diesel fuel they burn, China, the source of so much of our imports, has won the race as the world’s leading contributor to global warming.

Small wonder: Because there are price controls on diesel fuel, the country’s state-run oil refiners lose money on every gallon of diesel they sell. Those price controls also give refiners reasons to use the cheapest, dirtiest, most sulphurous crude they can get away with. Most of the 10 million trucks on China’s roads burn diesel that has 130 times the amount of sulphur sold in diesel fuel in the U.S., according to The New York Times. The result is a ban on daytime trucking in some cities. By morning, however, the diesel soot blocks out the sun. It’s not only an aesthetic problem. Diesel soot gets embedded deep in people’s lungs, where cancer can develop.

Ironically, as China’s booming economy expands, and roads are improved, transport time could be reduced. Except that diesel fuel is rationed, so that a truck driver might get as much as a quarter tank of diesel, or as little as five gallons. For that, he has to wait in line - his truck idling all the while - for up to 10 hours. A trip that took three days on the old roads could be cut by a day on improved roads, but winds up taking four days because of fuel stop delays.

The same problems of converting older diesels in our port complexes affect Chinese truckers, only much more so. Most truckers can’t afford the cleaner trucks, and even if they could, the cleanest ones are nowhere near meeting U.S. standards. The cleanest Chinese trucks, using low-sulfur fuel, emit three times the levels of nitrogen oxides and seven times the particles as the cleanest U.S. trucks.

Compounding the problem, the diesel fuel sold in China has sulfur concentrations of 2,000 parts per million, compared to U.S. diesel fuel, which has 15 parts per million. The sulfur content for gasoline used by cars in China has more than 25 times the amount of sulfur in gas sold in the U.S.

You might think that the solution, given China’s huge imports, would be to clean up their act. But removing sulfur during the refining process is expensive, and, since the government is afraid of unrest if it raises fuel prices and U.S. importers of Chinese goods want the lowest prices - well, you get the picture.

Lest you think that all that sulfur and nitrogen oxides are a Chinese problem, consider that some of those particles arrive naturally to our shores. So, even as our ports become greener, and trucks become cleaner, we’re fighting a situation we can’t control.

One solution would be to impose the same kinds of limits on pollution abroad as we do on child labor abuse. That way, major polluters - whether factories or trucks - would be barred from exporting their products to the U.S. Another solution: Al Gore’s first mission after picking up his Nobel Prize could be a trip to Beijing, where he could guide the government in establishing a tough Chinese Environmental Protection Agency. That accomplished, he could even earn a second Nobel.

Minitrucks have come a long way in the past 20 years. Some say we’ve run out of ideas and have started recycling them. Like hot rods and lowriders, how much more could we possibly change? If you look at traditional hot rods of today, they are very similar to the trend-starting customs of the ’50s. Lowriders have always been into clean looks, with tons of chrome and sometimes outrageous paint. But, if you were at a show 10 years ago, or today, not much has changed for them. Minitrucks seem to be on the same kind of cycle. Of course, trucks don’t look like they did in ‘89; but the basic ideas are still there.

We’ve gone through crazy mods, then to basic trucks, and came back to crazy mods. If you go to a show these days, you’ll see that we’re revisiting basic-truck styles again. When minitrucks first started, trucks were basic. They were lowered, practical, and clean. But, soon people started chopping them, slamming them even lower, and getting crazy with them. Then, in the early ’90s trucks returned to clean and simple styles again. The wildest things we saw were in the paint schemes. Soon after that, trucks started getting crazy again. Front-end swaps and taillight conversions were a must. Body-drops were gaining in popularity and really changed the face of minitruckin’. If you weren’t laying doors and rocking some kind of crazy front end, then you just weren’t cutting it.

But lately, the stock craze is gaining popularity again. It’s more common at shows to see trucks that are simple, with stock handles, stock taillights, and even stock bumpers. People who were building sick and crazy frames were outdone by the guy with a simple four-link, laying rockers, and on 22s. What’s next? Who knows? But, based on the idea that history repeats itself, we’ll probably roll basic trucks for a few years, until somebody comes out with a crazy modded truck and blows our doors away.

Paint Mods

Single Color
Single-color trucks either get a ton of attention or none at all. In the last few years, a huge number of single-color trucks have graced the front cover of Mini Truckin’ magazine.

This Datsun, which is a past MT cover-truck, shows true class and elegance with a deep-blue single color.

Multi Color
The best way to get attention at a show, or on the streets, is going to be a crazy paintjob. These paintjobs take a lot of time and creativity, but when done correctly can really pop in the eyes of the beholder. Multi-color paintjobs have been minitrucker favorites since the ’70s.

Crazy graphics can really show off the handy work of a real artist on a ride, such as this S-10.

Suedes
A recent paint type with minitruckers is the hot-rod inspired suede paintjobs. With ready-to-shoot paints available these days, it’s becoming more and more popular. Some people have argued that the suede and hot-rod look will die soon with minitruckers, but with more and more minitruckers parking laid-out ‘Cads or Lincolns in their garages next to their minis, it’s highly unlikely.

Suede paint, old-skool graphics, and tuner wheels are some of the combinations on this truck. Also, notice that it still sports a rear bumper and handles. However, the truck is only slightly modded with a shaved gas door, antenna, and hood squirters.

Body Mods

Heavy Mods
Tons of mods mean tons of bodywork and money. Many minitruckers believe that the crazy mod and frame phase of the previous few years has hurt the minitruck lifestyle. It’s hard to keep up with the trend, when a person flips burgers or does oil changes for a living, like most young minitruckers. But, if someone can’t afford to do it, then they’ll eventually find another hobby. To the do-it-yourself guy or gal, or the person with a few extra dollars to spend, heavy mods mean originality and standing out in the crowd.

Check out this assortment of heavily-modded trucks. As you can see, the first Chevy mixes it up really nice by using the old-skool approach, small wheels, a crazy chopped top, and suede paint. The Isuzu is not only body-dropped, it’s sporting three axles. Now that’s old new-skool for sure.

Simple Mods
Sometimes you want your Chevy to still look like a Chevy, just as the dealer intended. So maybe an Escalade conversion isn’t in the plans for you. Simple mods, such as a handle shave job or a roll pan, have never been out of style. Simple mods mean easy bodywork and sometimes it’s an easy blend paintjob.

This old-skool Pebble Pushers’ ride is clean and simple, yet it has just enough mods to be considered truly custom.

Stock
The stock look doesn’t mean you roll your truck off the lot and put a club logo on it. The new trend in the United States has already been the trend in places like Japan, where you take a mini, ‘bag it, put some wheels on it, and then call it a day. With more money to spend on suspension, minitruckers can concentrate on body-drops, wheels, and looking clean. This is by far one of the most popular trends these days. At most shows in the country, you can roll in and see a handful of trucks rocking rear bumpers, stock taillights, and even the handles.

Of course, these three trucks on the right are not stock. But as you can see, most could pass for factory trucks if they were aired up.

The Franklin City Council will introduce an ordinance that will affect sugar cane drivers next year when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall in Franklin.

The City Council is expected to vote on the ordinance to regulate vehicles transporting sugar cane (starting in the 2008 grinding season) be prohibited from traveling on Main Street through the Historic District, when other routes are available.

Another ordinance the City Council will consider is to authorize the sale and transfer of the property comprising the West St. Mary Industrial Park from the city of Franklin to the West St. Mary Parish Port, Harbor, and terminal district.

According to its agenda the City Council also is expected to vote on the final adoption of two ordinances.

The first is an ordinance adopting and enacting a new code for the city of Franklin.

The second is to declare certain movable property no longer needed for public purposes as surplus movable property.

In old business, the City Council will hear from Dale Rogers on an update on the removal of the parking meters on Main Street. Also, Rogers will give an update on the roof repair at the Teche Theatre on Main Street.

In new business, Rogers will send a letter to Burlington Northern Rail-road requesting it to repa.

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c76899) has announced the addition of ‘The Truck Body Manufacturing Industry in North America’ to their offering.

This report is an analysis & evaluation of the size, segmentation, channels and competitive structure of the industry underlying the manufacture of truck bodies in North America for specialized/vocational uses.

The manufacture of truck bodies in North America for specialized/vocational uses is a highly fragmented business, with 341 identifiable players spread across the U.S. and Canada.

These types of vehicles can be categorized into two production categories: 1) standardized products and 2) products that are harder to replicate. Examples of standardized products are dump trucks, van bodies, service and utility trucks, and flatbed trucks. These have lower average prices and margins and are not technologically advanced in their design. On the other hand, products that are hard to replicate, such as concrete pumpers, concrete mixers, refuse trucks, vacuum tank trucks, and tow trucks, involve far more engineering in the design of the unit, which results in the product having a higher average unit price.

Truck body types covered in this report are as follows:

Beverage trucks

Concrete mixers

Concrete pumpers

Crane trucks

Curtainside vans

Dump trucks (light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty)

Flatbed trucks (stake & platform)

Refuse & recycling trucks (front loaders, rear loaders, automated side loaders, manual/semi-automated side loaders, recyclers)

Service & utility trucks

Street sweepers

Tank trucks (aircraft refuelers, dry bulk tank trucks, LPG bobtail tank trucks, petroleum tank trucks, water tank trucks)

Vacuum tank trucks (portable toilet tank trucks, septic tank trucks, sewer cleaner tank trucks, vacuum Hydro-Extractor tank trucks, Vacuum Loader tank trucks, Vacuum tank trucks)

Van Bodies (Cutaway Van Bodies, Dry Freight Van Bodies, Insulated/refrigerated Van Bodies, Service/Utility Van Bodies, Walk-in Van Bodies)

Wreckers/tow trucks

The industry has been impacted by developments relating to consolidation by major players in the industry, as well as private equity buyers.

PREFACE

A. SCOPE & METHODOLOGY

B. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

C. MARKET OVERVIEW

C.1 Units

C.2 Sales

C.3 Group Companies

C.3.1 Units

C.3.2 Sales

D. PRODUCT & MARKET ANALYSIS

Standard Table of Contents for Each Section

- Estimated Production & Competitive Shares

- Units & Dollars

- By Geographic Region(s)

- Competitive Review

- Market Analysis

- Recent Developments & Trends

- Key Demand Drivers

- Applications/Customers/Channels

- Outlook & Forecast

- Industry Structure & Manufacturer Data

- Employment, Plant Size & Sales Correlations

- Units in Use

- Web/URL Addresses of Manufacturers

E. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE/MANUFACTURER DATA

F. LEADING MANUFACTURER PROFILES

Advance Engineered Products Ltd.

Beall Corp.

Brand FX Body Co. Gem Top

Continental Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Crysteel Mfg. Inc. (TBEI)

Elgin Sweeper Co.

Galion-Godwin Truck Body Co.

Garsite Progress LLC

Godwin Mfg. Co. Inc.

Guzzler Mfg. Inc. (Federal Signal)

Hackney & Sons

Heil by TBEI (Dump)Heil Environmental (Refuse)

Hi-Vac Corp./Aquatech Corp.

Iowa Mold Tooling Co. Inc.

J-Craft (TBEI)

Jerr-Dan Corp.

Kidron Inc.

Knapheide Mfg. Co.

Labrie Environmental Group

McNeilus Truck/Oshkosh

Mickey Truck Bodies Inc.

Miller Industries, Inc.

Morgan Corp.

New Progress, LLC

Nite-Hawk Sweepers

Omaha Standard Inc.

Ox Bodies Inc. (TBEI)

Putzmeister America

R&S-Godwin Truck Body Co.

Reading Truck Body Inc.

RKI Inc.

Royal Truck Body Inc.

Rugby Mfg. Co. (TBEI)

Schwarze Industries Inc.

Schwing America Inc.

Scranton Mfg. Co. Inc./New Way

Stahl Co./Scott Fetzer Co.

Supreme Corp.

Terex Advance (Concrete)

Terex Utilities (Utility)

Utilimaster Corp.

VacAll Industries Inc.

Vac-Con, Inc.

Vactor Mfg. Inc. (Federal Signal)

Warren Inc. (Dump)

Warren Mfg. Inc. (Dry Bulk)

Westech Vac Systems Ltd.

The new ladder truck at the Crescent Springs-Villa Hills Fire Department made the news this summer when alcohol and unapproved use of the rig left a man injured and the prized new piece of equipment damaged.

But many fire officials in the region say the truck is noteworthy for another reason. They call it the poster child for “fire truck envy.”

During The Post’s months-long look at how fire protection is delivered in Northern Kentucky, many officials pointed to the truck - which cost $680,000 - as an example of a major expense they thought was unnecessary.

Neighboring departments such as those in Erlanger, Fort Mitchell and Edgewood all have aerial trucks and could be dispatched automatically to a fire in Villa Hills or Crescent Springs, they said.

Jeff Wendt, who became Crescent Springs-Villa Hills chief in January - after the decision to buy the truck had been made - is aware of the criticism. But he disagrees. The American La France 110-foot ladder truck - delivered in July - was necessary for several reasons, he said.

One, the two cities served by the department have several large buildings, including the four-story, 100-year-old St. Walburg Monastery; apartments and a new shopping center. They also have many houses that are hard to reach from the street. Having the truck, and the extra protection it afforded, helps him “to sleep at night,” he said.

Two, one of the criteria used by ISO, an independent organization that evaluates and rates fire agencies so insurance companies can set rates, requires a ladder-service company within 2½ miles of a “built-upon area of the city.” Without the truck, the department’s rating of 4 might have dropped, Wendt said. Such a drop can hurt businesses. Just losing one point could mean thousands of dollars more in insurance bills for companies, officials say.

Three, the department sends its ladder truck - which technically is called a “quint” because it also has pumping capabilities, in this case 2,000 gallons a minute - as part in its initial response to all fire calls. And because Aerial Trucks are so long, they need to be positioned quickly before other trucks block the scene, Wendt said.

“It takes a lot of room to set up,” he said. “If it’s the third or fourth truck to the fire, it’s going to be worthless.”

The decision to buy the truck was made by city councils in the two cities, he said. The department is actually overseen by an independent fire authority, and that board recommended the purchase to the councils. The department had been saving money for seven years and was able to pay about $200,000 up front. The rest was financed.

Wendt said officials commissioned the Northern Kentucky Area Development District to do a study before the purchase was made, and the study backed the purchase.

But several fire chiefs, who asked not to be named, said the department could have worked out a deal with its neighbors to avoid a drop in its ISO rating. They suggested ISO would give cities credit for trucks owned by other jurisdictions if those trucks were dispatched automatically.

ISO officials declined to be interviewed, saying they consider the evaluation process to be a proprietary work product. They instead e-mailed some general descriptions of the rating program and referred a reporter to a Web site that talks about some of the criteria.

Currently, like most of Northern Kentucky, Crescent Springs-Villa Hills operates under a mutual aid program in which help is sent only when asked for. Some departments have signed “automatic aid” agreements, and Wendt said he’s had preliminary discussions with Erlanger about such an arrangement.

Some fire officials said they resented the way ISO ratings seemed to drive their decisions. Others said it’s important to put them in context.

Covington Fire Chief Buddy Wheatley said the ratings, while important for insurance purposes, are an artificial description that don’t always reflect the quality of a fire department’s response.

Wilder Chief Jim Profitt calls the purchase of many trucks an “ISO-forced issue.”

Because his city is growing, it was in jeopardy of losing its 4 rating but maintained it by opening a new station two years ago, he said. But growth is continuing. Even though he’s surrounded by departments with aerial trucks, he might one day have to consider adding staff or an aerial truck to earn the points necessary to keep his agency’s rating from slipping to a 5, Profitt said.

Citing inside sources, Bloomberg reports today that Chrysler and Nissan are in talks to develop cars, trucks and engines together. Both companies happen to be the third largest automakers in their home market and both are used to collaborative efforts in car making. Chrysler is working with Volkswagen on minivans and Chinese automaker Chery on a small car, for instance, while Nissan-Renault continues to seek a partner in the U.S. after a proposed partnership with General Motors fell through. Chrysler and Nissan, however, are reportedly not considering acquiring any type of ownership in each other. The co-development would be limited to Truck development for Nissan, small car development for Chrysler and joint development of new engines. Nissan is likely hoping that tapping into a U.S. automakers’ expertise on full-size Trucks will lead to changes that make its Titan pickup more competitive. Chrysler, meanwhile, is still without a car smaller than the Caliber and could benefit from Nissan’s experience selling small cars in Japan and Europe. Again, the talks are private so neither company has confirmed they’re in discussions, but collaboration on this scale seems to becoming more common in the industry, especially for automakers that aren’t the biggest, but aren’t the smallest, either.