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etail spending dropped 1.2% in September, the Commerce Department reported Friday, although the movement is up 0.1% if auto sales are disregarded.

WASHINGTON — The less-than-truckload industry and the Teamsters kicked off negotiations Oct. 8 over a new labor pact, with the union searching for more health and pension benefits and higher wages and management saying it needed greater flexibility to delve into new types of businesses.

Shrinking truckload capacity in some parts of the country, along with an uptick in demand, is giving motor carriers room to raise their freight rates, trucking executives and analysts said.

Wholesale sales in the United States jumped 0.9% in August, the Commerce Department said. The increase was the largest gain in four months – an indication that factory production and shipments may be on the rise.

Executives from three of the top truck equipment suppliers are scheduled to participate in a panel discussion moderated by Transport Topics Publisher and Editorial Director Howard S. Abramson at the ATA Management Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla.

Workers returned to West Coast ports Wednesday night to begin catching up with the backlog caused by a 10-day lockout -- a process that could take up to nine weeks, news reports said.

Plan to Revive CF Seen Doomed • Import Prices Rose 0.7% in Sept • U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell 40,000 Last Week • Crude Oil Price Falls as Iraq Makes Overture • And more...

Scientists Question Accuracy of Lie-Detector Tests • FedEx Workers Hospitalized After Exposure to Powder • Doctors Say Enhanced 911 Could Be a Lifesaver in a Disaster •

Can the government utilize technology to promote security and expedite trade across Nafta borders? The answer seems to be a qualified yes, according to officials involved in a long-running project designed to achieve those goals.