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GRAPEVINE, Texas — The economy topped the list of critical issues facing the trucking industry for the third consecutive year, the American Transportation Research Institute said.

The economic outlook for trucking is “muddled at best, with the industry facing softening demand and rising costs,” American Trucking Associations’ Chief Economist Bob Costello said at the group’s annual conference in Texas this week.

While the U.S. economy continues to look better and better in many ways, there are some pretty powerful reasons for truckers to remain cautious, or at least watchful in the coming months.

Fueled by stronger manufacturing and demand for freight, the U.S. economy will grow at least at a 3.2% annual pace in 2011, and truck tonnage will rise 5%, according to several recent reports.

The International Monetary Fund boosted its forecast for global economic growth this year, reflecting stronger U.S. output based on tax-cut extensions and higher growth in emerging economies, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

LAS VEGAS — Two industry analysts differed over whether trucking will tread water this year or improve its financial performance even more than it has, and economists told heavy-duty executives the danger of a double-dip recession is gone.

The new year for trucking companies picks up right where 2010 left off, with optimism about an improving economy but also plenty of unknowns about which to worry.

Trucking companies finally gained some traction in 2010 as the economy stabilized and demand for freight hauling increased.

Federal regulators for the first time in more than 30 years are proposing a redesign of the fuel economy label that consumers see on the window of new passenger vehicles and light trucks.

Anyone who relies too much on the stock market for advice on where the economy is headed these days is bound to get seasick.