EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Fuel prices may have fallen from their record highs earlier this summer, but they’ll probably "never go back to the prices of even a year ago," says American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello.

Costello made the remarks as keynote speaker at EBE Technologies‘ first annual users conference in Oak Brook, Ill. He spoke on diesel fuel prices and practical strategies for motor carriers and explained the many reasons the price of crude oil has surged, the annual diesel expense, consumption within the trucking industry and strategies to conserve fuel while boosting MPG, reducing idling, and driver variability.

"Because there is no one reason for the cause of rising fuel prices, there is no one magic bullet to correct the problem," he said. "It’s not the increase in cost that has affected the industry so dramatically, but it is the rate at which prices increased, not giving carriers the ability to respond."

Founded in 1973, EBE has evolved as a leading provider of integrated business process management solutions designed specifically for the trucking industry. EBE’s expertise in imaging and transportation specific workflow applications led to the development of its enterprise solution, SHIPS.