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Officials with the largest package delivery companies said they are in the early stages of preparing themselves for the familiar flood of holiday shipments.

American Trucking Associations said it has hired Mary Phillips as its new senior vice president of legislative affairs.

American Trucking Associations members gathering this week in Phoenix will meet to discuss economic recovery, the future of trucks and engines and the political and regulatory issues facing the industry.

Truckers and other carriers are reporting a seasonal pickup in freight volumes this fall that is in sharp contrast to 2009, when the recession ravaged cargo volumes, experts said.

A strong surge by Freightliner Trucks helped lead heavy-duty U.S. retail truck sales to a 21% increase in September, the ninth straight month of improved Class 8 sales from last year, WardsAuto.com reported.

Fuel prices surged for a second week as the U.S. retail diesel average hit $3.066 a gallon, 6.6 cents higher than a week ago, the Department of Energy reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it will allow up to 15% ethanol content in gasoline for newer vehicles, up from the current 10%.

The U.S. trade deficit widened by 8.8% in August, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Initial jobless claims grew by 13,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.