91ÊÓƵ

About the only silver lining that seems to be coming from the obvious slowdown of the U.S. economy is that it’s taking pressure off domestic fuel prices, in part by encouraging commodities speculators to find other places to ply their trade.

Many fleets are shifting to late-model used trucks to meet their need for additional vehicles, according to registration data provided by R.L. Polk & Co.

The good news is that the trucking business is pretty good and is getting better. The bad news is that the economy is somewhat better, but it’s not getting better fast enough or strongly enough. And that’s where our troubles begin.

Kudos to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for agreeing to alter its CSA safety program in light of research showing there may not be a strong correlation between certain violations and the rate of accidents.

August is our favorite month. It’s usually a relaxed time of year, when most people take vacations and kick back a little before rushing back into the thick of things. The seasonal shipping crush usually begins to take shape in September, so August feels a bit like the lull before the storm.

The 2010 edition of the Transport Topics Top 100 For-Hire Carriers shows us just how bad 2009 was for the motor carrier industry, but it also illustrates the recovery that took hold in the first half of this year.

The results from the Roadcheck 2010 safety blitz reinforce the message that trucking takes safety compliance seriously.

While Wall Street continues to express its doubts about the strength of the U.S. economic recovery that is under way, most trucking companies say that business is continuing to improve.

The proposal for revamping the federal government’s hours-of-service rule for truck drivers that a coalition of interest groups released recently illustrates just how little these political theorists understand about highway safety and the business of moving America’s freight.

This week’s issue of Transport Topics includes some interesting news about the federal government’s new safety regime for trucking, Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, including that the program is going to be renamed.