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U.S. workers’ productivity rose in the second at an annual rate of 6.4%, higher than previously reported, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Most carriers were ill-prepared to manage in the current recession, and much has been written lately about “post-recession operation,” a term that strikes me as limiting and defensive — particularly in the case of less-than-truckload carriers.

U.S. construction spending slipped 0.2% in July, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

U.S. manufacturing showed expansion in August for the first time in more than a year and half, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.

The in-house financing arm of truck maker Navistar International Corp. has signed an agreement for a one-year renewal of a $650 million floor-plan funding facility for its dealers, the company said.

West Virginia-made Hino trucks soon will become part of the state Division of Highways’ road maintenance fleet, the Associated Press reported.

The heavy-duty aftermarket industry, which had passed through the previous two recessions relatively unscathed, has been hit hard this time, with one analyst saying revenue will be down 8% to 10% this year compared to 2008, which itself suffered a 4% drop from 2007.

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago improved in August, the Institute for Supply Chain Management-Chicago said Monday.

PITTSBURGH — Alex Bugeya of Ontario, Canada, became a competitor for the first time this year and earned the right to represent his province at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s North American Inspectors Championship here.