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THOMASVILLE, N.C. — But for the vagaries of history, Earl Congdon’s family business could have been Florida motels rather than less-than-truckload transportation.

Trucking’s difficulties are expected to continue this year, as many carriers struggle for survival while freight volumes fall, financial market turmoil continues and a new political landscape takes shape.

With fuel prices going down, including diesel, truckers are still shutting down and still saying they aren’t making money — proving my own view that the problem is other than fuel prices.

Cargo traffic at ports in China declined for the first time in at least seven years last month, Bloomberg reported.

Southern California port officials and state environmental regulators continued pressing their campaign to reduce heavy-truck diesel emissions, approving several controversial measures during 2008 that some truckers said will lead to severe economic hardships.

Ryder System said Tuesday it has completed its acquisition of a Canadian logistics firm with operations in China.

Transport Topics Online will be closed Wednesday through Friday for the Christmas holiday. Please check back on Monday, Dec. 29, for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

The Department of Transportation and the I-95 corridor coalition signed an agreement earlier this month to help relieve congestion on Interstate 95.

A coalition of advocacy and labor groups last week again challenged the revised driver hours-of-service rule, asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reconsider provisions in the rule that allow truckers to drive 11 hours in a workday and reset their weekly hour limit by taking 34 hours off.

President-elect Barack Obama Friday formally named Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) to be his Transportation Secretary and Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) to be Secretary of Labor.