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ORLANDO, Fla. — A fuel-optimization module acquired 12 months ago has since become a leading growth product for software vendor TMW Systems, which held its annual user conference in the heart of this resort-rich peninsula last week.

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.

New home sales dropped 11.5% in July to the lowest since January 1991, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

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.

Durable goods orders fell 4.5% in August, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

House and Senate negotiators reached a deal Tuesday on a major railroad safety reform bill that will require new technology to prevent crashes and limit hours engineers can work, the Associated Press reported.

The Senate approved a bill that would provide tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency, the Associated Press reported, and a top trucking official urged Congress to pass comprehensive measures to help lower fuel costs.

WASHINGTON — Congress may link any change in truck size- and-weight limits in upcoming highway legislation to a new commercial vehicle-miles-traveled tax, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Highway and Transit Subcommittee, said last week.