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TUCSON, Ariz. — An official with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told anxious freight brokers here the agency’s new safety ratings system would not significantly alter their business landscape.

Housing starts rose in March, while building permits increased to the highest level in almost a year and a half, the Commerce Department said Friday.

U.S. consumer confidence held fell this month to its lowest level in five months, according to the latest Reuters/University of Michigan monthly consumer sentiment index released Friday.

If transportation publications carried “Where are they now?” stories, last-mile delivery might be one of the first functions profiled.

The U.S. economy improved in most of the Federal Reserve’s 12 districts in March, with the transportation sector improving in most areas, the Fed said.

Manufacturing levels in the Philadelphia region expanded in March at the fastest pace in four months, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said Thursday.

Industrial production rose 0.1% in March, following a 0.2% gain in February, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.

Initial jobless claims rose by 24,000 last week, in part due to the volatility around the Easter holiday, the Labor Department said Thursday.