U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced today that the Department of Transportation has posted the new fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks for the 2011 model year.

Automotive repair shop owners often say that it’s a “hard sell” when trying to convince consumers that they should buy a top of the line engine, transmission or differential.   For eight members of the Texas Independent Automotive Association who toured the Jasper Engines & Transmissions repair and production facilities in Jasper and Crawford Ind., March 23, 2009, that perception was repeatedly contested.

The Texas Independent Automotive Association opposes House Bill 4526, which relates to the disclosure of charges for motor vehicle repairs and provides for a civil penalty.  TIAA believes the legislation fails to protect Texas automotive and collision repair facilities that encounter unknown labor charges associated with disassembly and assembly when troubleshooting vehicles.

For all those naysayers and media analysts who tell us the economy is in a slump and business is no good, one Texas operator has proved them wrong.

WASHINGTON - With new data released Feb. 19, 2009, America's trend of declining driving continued into its second year with 3.8 billion fewer vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), or 1.6 percent less, in December 2008 compared to the same month a year earlier.