Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire and Bridgestone Firestone Canada Inc. announced price increases of up to 10 percent effective Sept. 1 on the companies’ Bridgestone and Firestone brand tire lines, as well as all associate brand tires. The company cited a shortage of and subsequent price increases for raw materials, as well as high fuel prices.

Paccar Chairman and CEO Mark Pigott has been selected to receive this year’s Six Sigma & Business Improvement CEO of the Year Award. The parent of Kenworth and Peterbilt has trained 12,000 employees, dealers and suppliers to use Six Sigma to evaluate engineering design, assembly procedures, sales ordering and financial transactions. The company has implemented more than 7,600 Six Sigma projects that have saved more than $1.5 billion since 1997.

Eaton Corp. announced that its UltraShift Highway Value transmission will be available as an option on 2009 Freightliner M2-106 and Sterling Acterra medium-duty trucks. The vehicles are available with Cummins engines and GVWRs up to 33,000 pounds.

Freightliner Trucks announced the availability of high-visibility seat belts as a factory-installed option on the Cascadia, Columbia, Century Class S/T and M2. Manufactured by LifeGuard Technologies, the bright-orange high-visibility seat belts now are available to order.

SelecTrucks is offering a fuel card valued at up to $2,000 on purchases of midroof Freightliner Columbia trucks powered by the Mercedes-Benz 4000 engine. The fuel card offer runs through Dec. 31.

Stertil-Koni USA, a provider of heavy-duty lifts, acquired lift manufacturer ALM Corp. and Fleet America Service Technology, which markets a shallow pit-designed heavy-duty scissors lift.

Hunter Engineering Co. says Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations allow its B400T Brake Tester to be used to test brake compliance without a follow-up physical inspection to take noncomplying vehicles out of service.