Manufacturing activity in the Chicago region grew in September, the National Association of Purchasing Management said Tuesday.

Union Pacific Railroad is expanding its use of lower-emission locomotives by agreeing to conduct the rail industry’s first test of such units in regional freight service.

David May, a West Seneca, N.Y.-based driver for Con-way Freight, was named American Trucking Associations’ 2008 National Truck Driver of the Year.

Diesel fuel’s national average price fell 6.5 cents to $3.958 a gallon, the 10th straight weekly decline and the first time it has fallen below the $4 mark in almost six months, the Department of Energy said Sept. 22, although a surge in crude oil prices added uncertainty to the outlook.

A federal appeals court Wednesday denied a motion to block a clean trucks program at the Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, allowing the sister ports to begin implementation of the program Oct. 1, the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times newspaper reported.

Existing homes sales fell 2.2% in August, the greatest monthly decrease on record, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.

Freight railroad Union Pacific Corp. Tuesday boosted its third-quarter earnings forecast due to lower fuel prices and improved operating efficiency.

Logistics and delivery firm Dynamex Inc. reported an improved fiscal fourth-quarter profit and said it was searching for a new chief executive officer.