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Sharply contrasting with the U.S. drop, sales of heavy-duty trucks are booming in Europe as many fleets buy new models early to reap government incentives to adopt new emission technology before it becomes mandated.

The current truck-driver hours-of-service rules — allowing 11 hours of driving and restarting a week after 34 hours of rest — are likely to remain in place for at least several more weeks.

U.S. retail Class 8 truck sales continued their 2007 free fall in August, plunging 58.9% from last year, the fourth straight month sales have dropped more than 50%, Ward’s Communications said.

Crude oil hit a new closing record Thursday, its sixth in seven trading days, as a tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico that was on track to make landfall near New Orleans, Bloomberg reported.

Truck maker Freightliner LLC is studying relocating some of the operations in its aftermarket division from Oregon to the East Coast, the Oregonian newspaper reported Friday.

The index of leading economic indicators fell in August, the New York-based Conference Board said Thursday.

Initial jobless claims fell by 9,000 last week to 311,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Logistics and delivery firm Dynamex Inc. said late Wednesday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose to $4.1 million or 38 cents a share, from $3.3 million or 31 cents a year earlier.