The nationwide average price of diesel continued to climb last week, according to the Department of Energy’s weekly report released Sept. 24.

With a strong U.S. economy, a tight freight market and a looming trade war, industry experts believe shippers have been rushing to get products into the United States several weeks early — ahead of tariffs being implemented by the Trump administration and before the approaching holiday shopping season ramps up.

Truck tonnage showed a slight downturn of 1.8% in August, according to American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire Truck Tonnage Index.

The California Air Resources Board is awarding two grants topping $90 million to the nation’s two busiest ports — Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, respectively — to develop a Zero Emission and Near Zero-Emission Freight Facilities project.

The nationwide average price of diesel fuel increased by one penny to $3.268 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Sept. 17.

Members of the U.S. Maritime Alliance said they have ratified a new six-year contract with the International Longshoremen’s Association, the largest union of maritime workers in North America.

Wages and bonuses for drivers aren’t the only incentives that are increasing as the trucking industry tries to keep up with the demands of a strong economy and a driver shortage, estimated to be at least 50,000 and expected to grow.

Some of the nation’s largest ports keep setting new records for cargo volumes, as trade tensions between the United States and some of its trading partners propel a rise in container traffic.

The average fuel economy of trucking companies participating in an annual study conducted by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency improved 2% on a year-over-year basis, the group announced.

The national average retail price of diesel fuel increased by 2.6 cents, pushing the weekly average to $3.252 a gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Department’s weekly report released Sept. 4. Trucking’s main fuel now costs 49.4 cents a gallon more than it did a year ago, when it was $2.758 a gallon.