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The U.S. trade deficit shrank by 0.6% in September as the weakening U.S. dollar helped push exports to a record for a seventh straight month, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Sometime in the near future, a new generation of supersized containerships — up to 50% larger than current vessels — will make its first appearance on the East Coast of the United States.

Intermodal freight volume declined by 2.2% during the third quarter, compared with last year, making it likely the sector will experience its first annual volume decline since 2001, according to the Intermodal Association of North America.

WASHINGTON — Federal investigators told Congress that the Department of Transportation’s drug- and alcohol-testing program for truck drivers is unreliable and riddled with problems.

The average price of a gallon of diesel in the United States jumped 14.6 cents last week, setting a new record high of $3.303 a gallon, the Energy Department reported. Last week’s diesel price, $3.157 a gallon, matched the old record, set Oct. 24, 2005.

The fuel price spiral has resumed, sending diesel and crude oil costs to never-before-seen levels, even as the economy stumbles along and fleets grapple with declining freight levels in 10 of the past 12 months.

Bill Davis Trucking, a truckload carrier based in Batesville, Ark., filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Act late last month.

Initial jobless claims fell by 13,000 last week to 317,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Express-1 Expedited Solutions said Thursday it earned $499,000 or 2 cents a share in the third quarter, down from with $905,000 or 3 cents last year.