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Forward Air Corp. said Monday its wholly owned subsidiary, Forward Air Solutions Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets of Service Express, a privately held provider of pool distribution and related services headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C.

U.S. manufacturing fell slightly into contraction levels in August, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday.

Construction spending fell 0.6% in July, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The July truck tonnage report offered mixed signals about the industry and the U.S. economy, as American Trucking Associations’ index rose 4.4% from weak results a year earlier but declined 0.3% from the June totals.

HOUSTON — Dennis Shirar, a 51-year-old driver for Heritage Transport, Indianapolis, earned the title of Grand Champion at the 2008 National Truck Driving Championships.

Only four days after he was crowned Grand Champion of the 2008 North American Inspectors Championship on Aug. 23, Wisconsin State Patrol inspector Daniel Slick already was back at work.

The U.S. average price of retail diesel continued its descent last week, falling another 6.2 cents a gallon to $4.145, the Department of Energy reported.

Manufacturing activity in the Chicago improved in August, the Institute for Supply Chain Management-Chicago said Monday.

A coalition representing highway users said Friday it has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to reject a request from the Pennsylvania for permission to toll Interstate 80 in that state.

Citing soaring raw materials costs, trailer maker Wabash National Corp. said it would raise prices an average of 5%, effective for new orders booked on or after Oct. 1.