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SAN DIEGO — A majority of Americans perceive truck drivers to be safer than other motorists, an indication the industry’s image may be more positive than previously thought, according to a recent poll.

SAN DIEGO — Leaders of American Trucking Associations meeting here said they have put themselves in the best position to successfully see long overdue highway funding and other legislation passed, while preventing what they view as an explosion of burdensome regulations.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is scheduled to publish a proposed rule in April that would drop a current requirement that insulin-treated interstate truck drivers with diabetes apply for a special exemption to be issued a medical certification card.

Diesel fuel’s national average retail price fell 2.2 cents to $3.733 a gallon, the 14th straight week without an increase and 25th drop in the past 30 weeks, the Department of Energy reported.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s advisory committee and medical review board will meet later this month to “identify concepts” the regulatory agency should consider in updating its policy regarding the risks of truck drivers’ legal use of stimulants, depressants and opioids.

We strive to interact directly with those who have the most influence on the trucking and freight transportation industry, so we thank Scott Darling III, acting chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for speaking with Transport Topics last week.

Top executives and industry experts plan to explore ways business leaders and government officials can work to relieve congestion along the country’s aging transportation network during a panel discussion Oct. 4-7 at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego.

August’s truck tonnage index jumped 4.5% from a year ago to a record 132.6 reading, American Trucking Associations said Sept. 23.