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As the recession deepens, there is growing awareness in the transportation industry of the role dispatchers play in keeping third-party logistics firms and freight brokerages competitive, particularly in the areas where dispatch and customer service collide.

The 2009 Transport Topics 100 for-hire and private listings are available online. The listings, available to download free, show the top 100 U.S. and Canadian carriers in each category.

Wholesale inventories fell in June for the tenth consecutive month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Express-1 Expedited Solutions earned $288,000, or 1 cent per share, in the second quarter, down from $774,000, or 2 cents, a year ago.

U.S. workers’ productivity surged in the second quarter to an annual rate of 6.4%, the fastest in almost six years, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

Vehicle parts maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said it will invest up to $10 million in its commercial vehicle business in Brazil.

Daimler Trucks North America will raise its heavy-duty truck prices for 2010 models by $9,000 to account for new emissions technology, with medium-duty trucks costing $6,700 to $7,300 more than 2009 models.

FedEx Corp. said Monday it has expanded its international economy package and freight services to 90 countries, from the 16 previously serviced.