Government

Housing starts in September fell to the lowest level since 1993, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The Federal Highway Administration announced Oct. 5 it is issuing nearly $5 million in grants to six states to “reduce traffic jams near highway construction sites by speeding project completion.”

A federal judge ruled Monday that FedEx Corp.’s independent drivers can sue as a group for benefits sought in a lawsuit filed by workers claiming they should be paid as full-time employees, Bloomberg reported.

ATA President Bill Graves said Friday that he expects a court’s 90-day stay will give federal regulators enough time to issue an interim final rule maintaining an 11-hour limit for truck drivers’ hours of service, the Associated Press reported.

UPS Inc. employees represented by the Teamsters union will get a pay increase of $4 an hour and additional benefits worth $5 an hour under a new five-year contract, Bloomberg reported.

The Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference said it strongly opposes an “abhorrent” clean-air plan proposed by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. and will sue to block the program if the ports try to implement it, the IMCC told the Federal Maritime Commission.

A bill introduced last week by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) would provide tax credits for fleets purchasing trucks with certain types of safety technology.

Vermont leaders expressed dismay at an effort by the Bush administration to oppose new state rules designed to reduce vehicle carbon emissions, amid growing concern the rules will be rejected by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Associated Press reported.

California officials reopened southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Los Angeles early Monday after a 31-vehicle pileup over the weekend killed three and closed a freeway tunnel, USA Today reported.