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State truck registration fees would more than double under a proposal being prepared for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a two-year-old system Congress set up to reduce fees for for-hire carriers.

Technological glitches related to the launch of a container fee program are being blamed for congestion that jammed the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., on Feb. 18.

ORLANDO, Fla. — With the United States in a recession, the federal government is commanding a larger presence, two business lobbyists said, and while that does bring with it the potential for trouble, many executives at a manufacturers’ conference here welcomed the potential for help.

President Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus package into law last week that included about $27.5 billion in highway funding, some of which already is being put to use.

California environmental regulators are drawing up plans to issue vouchers as early as this spring to small fleets to help them pay for replacing old trucks with units carrying a 2007 or newer diesel engine.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Some truckload fleets that plan to purchase new tractors in 2009 say they may scale back their purchases as the U.S. economy weakens further, but others said they intend to keep buying.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The recession under way for 14 months is already “deep and long” and is supposed to hit bottom around the middle of this year, with mild growth in the second half, a Federal Reserve senior economist told a heavy-duty industry gathering here Feb. 16.

The average retail price of U.S. diesel declined for the fifth consecutive week, dipping another 3.3 cents a gallon, according to the Department of Energy.

Listening to the television pundits trying to divine the future of our economy, I am not unlike millions of people worldwide. We are all watching Washington, waiting for a panacea to the economic woes.