°®¶¹´«Ã½

Retail sales fell 2.8% in October, the biggest drop on record, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Heavy-duty truck and trailer parts aftermarket distributor FleetPride Inc. said Monday it acquired E.H. Burrell Co., a distributor of original equipment manufacturer and aftermarket parts serving western Oregon and southwest Washington state.

Commercial vehicle component maker Accuride Corp. said Monday it received notice that its stock will be suspended from trading on the New York Stock Exchange, effective this Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Prodded by soaring fuel prices and the contracting economy, shippers have spent most of 2008 trying to pare transportation spending to meet demands by company executives looking for antidotes to stagnant revenue growth.

Commercial vehicle component maker Accuride Corp. said Thursday it lost $201.2 million, or $5.67 per share, in the third quarter, compared with a loss of $1.9 million, or 5 cents, a year ago.

When heavy-duty engines with selective catalytic reduction technology start rolling in 2010, truckers refilling their trucks’ urea tanks will need to follow strict guidelines to protect the product’s purity to avoid damaging the aftertreatment system, urea experts said.

A total of 3,640 tractors manufactured by Paccar Inc. are being recalled because parts on the diesel particulate filter, or DPF, can fail, causing the component to separate from the chassis and fall onto the road.

Heavy-duty truck parts maker ArvinMeritor Inc. said Friday it will cut 1,250 jobs and may sell the auto-components unit it had planned to spin off to shareholders.

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. said Friday its third-quarter profit jumped 24% on stronger international sales, but the company lowered its full-year sales outlook.