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The New Jersey Turnpike Authority asked Gov. Jon Corzine (D) to approve a series of toll increases on two of the state’s major toll roads to pay for infrastructure improvements, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. payrolls plummeted in August as the unemployment rate soared to 6.1%, tying a 2003 record, the Labor Department said Friday.

The average price of retail diesel in the United States dipped 2.4 cents a gallon last week to $4.121, the seventh straight decline, even as Hurricane Gustav reached the Gulf Coast, the Department of Energy reported.

As the two primary U.S. political parties concluded their presidential nominating conventions and formally began the fall campaign, trucking executives said each candidate offered pluses and minuses for the industry.

The color for 2009 medium- and light-duty trucks is green, as in environmentally friendly. There are no major changes to designs for the 2009 model year; like heavy-duty trucks, the next major changes will occur with the 2010 model year as manufacturers adapt to the next round of diesel emission standards.

Trailer makers say they are suffering through one of the largest downturns in their history — “the longest down-cycle” ever, said one executive — forcing layoffs, production cuts and a search for new products.

The U.S. economy’s service sector expanded in August following two straight months of contraction, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is placing a weight limit for trucks on the Leverett Connector in Boston, related to the city’s $15 billion “Big Dig” construction project, the Associated Press reported.

Initial jobless claims rose by 15,000 last week to 444,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.