GM's Plan to Add Shifts Signals Big Production Boost Next Year
from the Detroit Free Press
General Motors Co.'s plan to add shifts at three U.S. assembly plants, which will restore 3,000 jobs, is just the start of a significant production ramp-up next year. More

New Jobless Claims Drop Unexpectedly to 530K
from Yahoo! News
The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits fell for the third straight week, evidence that layoffs are continuing to ease in the earliest stages of an economic recovery. More

Navistar Sees 11 Percent Improvement in 2010 Truck Sales
from Nasdaq
Commercial truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp. expects no better than a modest improvement in commercial truck sales next year, as the shipping industry stages a halting recovery. Navistar predicted North American commercial truck sales will increase by about 11 percent next year, discounting the likelihood of a robust upturn in consumer and manufacturing activity that would require a significant expansion of truck fleets. More

'Cash for Clunkers' Spurred Truck Sales
from The Detroit News
Pickups and sport utility vehicles were big sellers under the "cash for clunkers" program, despite the federal government's focus on replacing gas guzzlers with more fuel-efficient cars. Data released late last week by the Department of Transportation shows that tens of thousands of trucks, minivans and SUVs with relatively low gas mileage were among the nearly 700,000 vehicles sold under the program in late July and August. More

North American Commercial Vehicle Market Hints Improvement
from Trailer Body Builders
Heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicle net orders inched up in August 2009 to their highest level since November of 2008. Despite sequential improvement, Class 8 net orders were still down 30 percent year over year, according to the State of the Industry report released by ACT Research Co., LLC (ACT). More

Fed Again Holds Interest Rate at Record Low
from Transport Topics
The Federal Reserve for a seventh time voted to keep a key U.S. interest rate at a record low "target range" of zero to 0.25 percent. The Fed first lowered the key federal funds interest rate to that range last December. More