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Second-quarter U.S. worker productivity rose at an annual rate of 2.6%, the most in almost two years, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Air and ocean freight forwarder UTi Worldwide said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter net income fell 20% to $27.7 million or 28 cents a share, from $34.5 million or 35 cents a year ago.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has sent its court-ordered revision of new-driver training guidelines to the White House Office of Management and Budget, and trucking industry and safety officials said they hoped the agency would publish the new rule before the end of the year.

On the front page of the July 30 issue of Transport Topics, there was an article titled, “NHTSA Revises ’06 Deaths Down to Lowest Total Since 2002.” On the same front page, there was another article titled, “Court Rejects HOS Rule.” Does anyone in the government read their own reports?

A court decision vacating two aspects of the regulations that determine the work hours of professional truck drivers could erase a rule that contributed to a 4.7% decline in large-truck-related crash deaths in 2006 — unless cooler heads prevail.

Federal rail regulators are backing a technological change that will enable trains to stop more quickly while permitting them to travel longer distances between required brake tests, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

An Italian manufacturer chose Ryder System to manage its supply chain operations in China, Ryder said late Tuesday.

Manufacturing expanded in most U.S. regions in August, though the trucking industry saw some weaknesses related to pricing and a declining housing market, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.

Fleets can save fuel — possibly by as much as 5% — by “overspec’ing” engines, according to PHH FirstFleet, an asset, financial and technology management company for fleets.

Construction spending fell in July by the most since January, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.