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WASHINGTON — The new truck market is showing signs of picking up further this fall as the economy improves and the nation’s truck fleet continues to grow older, the head of Daimler Truck’s U.S. financial arm said.

Changes to the federal truck driver hours-of-service rule are among many issues trucking executives are likely to focus on when American Trucking Associations’ members gather in Phoenix for their annual meeting, the federation’s chief executive officer told Transport Topics.

The national average price for retail diesel dipped 0.9 cent a gallon to $2.951 last week, and gasoline dropped 2.9 cents to $2.694 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.

Orders for new commercial trailers jumped 55% in August over the comparable month last year, and new orders for the year to date are now 71% above the first eight months of 2009, ACT Research Co. reported.

Truck tonnage rose for the ninth consecutive month in August from year-ago levels, but the gain slowed to 2.9%, in line with the recent deceleration in the U.S. economy, American Trucking Associations reported.

Consumer confidence declined in September, according to the latest Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan monthly consumer sentiment index released Friday.

Consumer personal spending rose 0.4% in August as incomes improved, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The latest economic reports continue to show steady growth in the domestic economy, and fleets are buying more tractors and ordering more trailers as freight levels now have exceeded year-ago levels for nine consecutive months.