Inventories of crude oil, gasoline and distillate fuel all rose last week, the Energy Department reported Wednesday, following Tuesday’s closing-price crude oil record of more than $87 a barrel.
October 17, 2007FuelBusinessGovernment
Consumer Price Index Rises 0.3% in September
The consumer price index rose 0.3% in September, led by increases in food and fuel, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
October 17, 2007Government
Housing Starts Fall to Lowest Level in 14 Years
Housing starts in September fell to the lowest level since 1993, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
October 17, 2007GovernmentBusiness
States Receive FHWA Funds to Ease Delays
The Federal Highway Administration announced Oct. 5 it is issuing nearly $5 million in grants to six states to “reduce traffic jams near highway construction sites by speeding project completion.â€
October 17, 2007GovernmentBusinessSafety
Court Says FedEx Drivers Can Sue for Status; Company Plans To Appeal
A federal judge ruled Monday that FedEx Corp.’s independent drivers can sue as a group for benefits sought in a lawsuit filed by workers claiming they should be paid as full-time employees, Bloomberg reported.
October 16, 2007FuelBusinessGovernment
Diesel Gains 0.4¢ to $3.039; Oil Hits Record, Topping $86
Retail diesel fuel rose 0.4 cent to $3.039 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Monday, while crude oil jumped to a new closing-price record of $86.13 a barrel.
October 16, 2007GovernmentBusinessSafety
ATA Expects 11-Hour HOS Limit Will Hold
ATA President Bill Graves said Friday that he expects a court’s 90-day stay will give federal regulators enough time to issue an interim final rule maintaining an 11-hour limit for truck drivers’ hours of service, the Associated Press reported.
October 15, 2007GovernmentBusinessSafety
UPS, Teamsters Contract Shows Enhanced Pay, Benefits
UPS Inc. employees represented by the Teamsters union will get a pay increase of $4 an hour and additional benefits worth $5 an hour under a new five-year contract, Bloomberg reported.
October 15, 2007BusinessFuelGovernment
Intermodal Group Seeks to Block Clean Air Plan at SoCal Ports
The Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference said it strongly opposes an “abhorrent†clean-air plan proposed by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. and will sue to block the program if the ports try to implement it, the IMCC told the Federal Maritime Commission.
October 15, 2007BusinessGovernment
Bill Would Provide Credit for Safety Technology
A bill introduced last week by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) would provide tax credits for fleets purchasing trucks with certain types of safety technology.
October 15, 2007