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WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration still lacks the ability to ensure unsafe trucking companies are not allowed to enter the business, despite new rules it put in place this January.

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The news on the fuel front is so bad that it’s hard to know which way to report it. We could say: "The average price for a gallon of diesel in the United States has risen by 30.8 cents a gallon since mid-December. . . . "

The trucking industry paid an estimated $465 million more for its motor fuel last week than in the corresponding week of 2002, thanks to the high prices commanded by diesel and gasoline.

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The national average price of diesel fuel rose 4.4 cents a gallon to $1.753, the third new record in as many weeks, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

Three economic reports released Monday morning showed a slowing in manufacturing growth, while spending on construction rose to a new record and personal spending fell for the first time in four months.

Truck technology is the focus of this year’s annual meeting of American Trucking Associations Technology and Maintenance Council, scheduled for March 11-14 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., TMC announced.

International Truck and Engine Corp. will not use selective catalytic reduction technology on its own heavy-duty engines to meet federal 2007 emissions standards because SCR requires a fuel additive that International believes will not be widely available, a top company official said.

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