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Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell (D) has proposed that the state extend the sales tax to services including trucking and warehousing, a move industry leaders said imperils a business sector the state actively recruited and developed.

California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District is offering incentive funding of up to $50,000 for the purchase of a diesel truck or up to $100,000 for the purchase of a natural gas truck, in return for scrapping an older Class 8 diesel truck, the agency said.

The U.S. Senate last week passed legislation that would extend current highway legislation and transfer $20 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, but a key legislator reportedly said the Senate bill would not pass the House of Representatives, which already has approved a broader, more expensive measure.

While U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson indicated last week that her agency was moving forward with plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, opposition to a Senate cap-and-trade bill seemed to be gaining enough momentum to block its passage.

WASHINGTON — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro said she is committed to launching the agency’s new truck safety rating system in July, although she expects there will be problems at the start.

Senate Democrats expect to pass an unemployment benefits bill soon that includes a provision retroactively reinstating a biodiesel tax credit through the end of the year, according to a spokeswoman for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Ryder System said Monday it has signed a joint venture partnership with Cargo Services Far East Limited, an Asia-based logistics provider specializing in export consolidation services.

Consumer personal spending rose 0.5 in January, marking the fourth straight increase, the Commerce Department said Monday.