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SAN ANTONIO — Rush Enterprises Inc. resumed its annual technician challenge as an in-person competition ­— with a first-time in-person competitor as grand champion — after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a return to normal that was welcomed by the company’s leader.

Ford Motor Co. and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. are considering building a battery manufacturing plant in Michigan in a complex arrangement designed to reap new tax benefits.

As the nation began easing its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, activity on closely watched initiatives related to the trucking workforce heated up, while efforts to advance new laws for trucking fleets kept stakeholders engaged.

Trimble announced it has agreed to acquire Transporeon, a cloud-based transportation management software platform focused on connected supply chain infrastructure, in an all-cash transaction valued at $2 billion.

November U.S. retail sales of Classes 4-7 trucks overall fell 2.5%. It was the second-smallest decline this year, which so far has posted only one positive month compared with a year earlier, Wards Intelligence reported.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency said fuel efficiency in Class 8 trucks participating in its annual fleet study from 2018 to 2020 remained flat at 7.24 mpg after seven previous years of 2% annual increases.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions and freight broker Uber Freight announced a long-term strategic partnership to deploy Volvo’s autonomous transport network within Uber Freight’s marketplace.

Class 8 U.S. retail sales in November were the second-highest this year and continued the trend since May of monthly gains compared with a year earlier, Wards Intelligence reported.

Tesla Inc. shares are trading at their cheapest ever by at least one measure as the electric vehicle giant grapples with an array of challenges, from waning demand in China to investor concern over billionaire CEO Elon Musk’s priorities.

High-speed charging for electric vehicles could be on its way to becoming a mainstream convenience, available at grocery stores, apartment buildings and other locations many people frequent.