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Consumer personal spending was unchanged in August, despite the rise in employment and drop in consumer confidence, the Commerce Department said Monday.

David May, a West Seneca, N.Y.-based driver for Con-way Freight, was named American Trucking Associations’ 2008 National Truck Driver of the Year.

Truck tonnage gained 2.6% in August from last year but fell sharply from July, which analysts said was evidence of a deteriorating freight market that could become even worse because of mounting economic uncertainty and financial market problems.

From maintaining optimum air pressure to avoiding jack-rabbit starts, a truck driver’s actions affect not only the life expectancy of tires but also a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

Diesel fuel’s national average price fell 6.5 cents to $3.958 a gallon, the 10th straight weekly decline and the first time it has fallen below the $4 mark in almost six months, the Department of Energy said Sept. 22, although a surge in crude oil prices added uncertainty to the outlook.

American Trucking Associations urged quick government review and approval of a comprehensive, estimated $700 billion plan by the Treasury Department to buy bad loans from financial institutions.

A federal appeals court Wednesday denied a motion to block a clean trucks program at the Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, allowing the sister ports to begin implementation of the program Oct. 1, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times newspaper reported.