Business

Existing homes sales increased in November to the highest level since February 2007, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security said it will extend until 2011 the Jan. 1 deadline for implementing toughened drivers’ licenses and identification card security standards mandated by the REAL ID Act of 2005.

The U.S. economy expanded at a lower rate than previously reported in the third quarter, growing at a 2.2% annual rate versus the 2.8% reported last month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Due to the weekend snow storm in the Mid-Atlantic, Transport Topics Online will be closed on Monday, Dec. 21. Please check back later this week for the latest trucking and freight transportation news.

Trucking fleets focused on survival in 2009 as freight haulers battled a widespread economic downturn and confronted the prospect of significant new safety and environmental regulations from the Obama administration.

As this horrendous year finally winds to a close, the most recent economic news is notably better than what we’ve had to endure for nearly all of 2009. And because almost every economic forecast predicts at least a gradual recovery, 2010 can’t get here too soon.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has yet to announce the final fees for its Unified Carrier Registration Agreement, leaving states in financial limbo and some wondering if the program should be scrapped.

Biodiesel producers are threatening to shut down their operations if the Senate does not approve a bill that would extend the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit due to expire on Dec. 31.

In a flurry of activity before its holiday recess, Congress approved more than $40 billion in new highway spending for 2010, moved toward adding another $27 billion, approved a truck-weight exemption and quietly dropped a prohibition on a federal pilot program allowing trucking across the U.S.-Mexico border.