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Many of the nation’s ports continue to see growth in import and export activity, as retailers gear up for what is expected to be a strong fourth quarter and holiday shopping season.

BALTIMORE — Infrastructure funding programs across several states eventually will serve as models for federal transportation agencies, experts at a conference hosted by a tolling advocacy group indicated Oct. 15.

U.S. e-commerce companies including Amazon.com and shippers such as FedEx Corp. and UPS Inc. stand to gain from the Trump administration’s move Oct. 17 to withdraw from an international postal agreement.

FreightRover, a company launched a year ago by a former top executive at Celadon Group to provide technology to automate vendor payments, has secured a financing facility of up to $500 million from Crayhill Capital Management and other investors to support a new business that will offer trade finance and freight factoring services.

WASHINGTON — U.S. home construction fell 5.3% in September, a sign that recent hurricanes and rising mortgage rates may be weighing on the market.

A sample of last-minute written comments by trucking-related trade organizations mostly were supportive of tweaking federal hours-of-service rules to make them more flexible for commercial vehicle drivers.

President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the United States from a 192-nation treaty that gives Chinese companies discounted shipping rates for small packages sent to American consumers, another escalation of his economic confrontation of Beijing.

On Nov. 6, voters may spoil BP’s welcome. That’s when it will be decided whether to limit drilling in an initiative that some say could cut the state’s oil output by more than half. The vote is being closely watched, not only by companies keen to join the Colorado boom but also by outsiders who see a potential blueprint for blocking development.

With potentially big changes coming to the federal Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, insurance companies are hoping for a better way to identify unsafe motor carriers in an environment where insurers may be paying out much higher claims under the current system while some carriers are battling skyrocketing premiums.

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers posted the most jobs in two decades in August, and hiring also reached a record high, fresh evidence that companies are desperate to staff up amid solid economic growth.