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Connecticut trucking companies are asking Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) and state lawmakers to intervene in a dispute with the state’s Labor Department over how workers are defined for tax purposes, the Associated Press reported.

The decision by two major engine manufacturers, Cummins Inc. and Navistar International, to build 2010 heavy-duty diesel engines without selective catalytic reduction technology has upset truck sales forecasts for the 2009 and 2010 truck markets.

Truck tonnage declined 2.3% in September and analysts said fleets face a protracted period of softness in freight demand as new economic data provided few signs of an upturn in business activity.

For Ontario — Canada’s manufacturing hub and a heavy participant in North American trade — trucking executives say today’s key issue in transportation is to keep the fleets moving steadily back and forth across the border.

Retail diesel prices continued to climb last week, with the national average jumping 6.3 cents to $3.157 a gallon, matching the record set two years ago, according to the Department of Energy.

Mack Trucks and the United Auto Workers have agreed to extend the terms of union contracts that were to have expired at midnight Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.