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The leaders of the nation’s for-hire trucking fleets and the suppliers that serve them are gathering in Las Vegas this week to address the state of the industry as American Trucking Associations holds its annual Management Conference & Exhibition.

“Hi. We’re from the government, and we’re here to help you.” Not buying it? Well, that seems to be the logic behind the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s filing in federal court last week, defending the agency’s decision to modify the 34-hour restart provision of the new hours-of-service rule.

The trucking industry took a pause from its busy, round-the-clock pace last week to recognize the essential role that drivers play, not only for their employers but also in the nation’s economy.

In a brazen display of recklessness, and with utter disregard for the safety implications of its decision, Texas has decided to let its private “partner” on a section of State Highway 130, also called Pickle Parkway, post an 85-mile-per-hour speed limit, the highest in the country, when it opens.

The political bickering that has engulfed much of the federal government over the past months and months is apparently weighing heavily on the nation’s economy.

So here we are again, trapped in still another fuel-price spiral, as we helplessly watch outside events and parties set the cost and supply of the precious liquids that make our industry possible.

Cheering squads, trophies and yellow ducks notwithstanding, there is a very serious aspect to the National Truck Driving Championships.

The swimmers, sprinters, gymnasts, weightlifters and fancy horse riders have finished their two weeks in the sun, bathed in the world’s adoration as they competed against the best of their respective sports for that elusive gold medal.

American Trucking Associations has filed suit against the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s latest attempt to modify the hours-of-service rule because it believes it had no other way to prevent a serious mistake on the part of the very agency that is charged with improving safety by and for the motor carrier industry.

Yes, American Trucking Associations is a staunch supporter of the federal mandate requiring electronic logging devices to monitor hours-of-service compliance for the nation’s truck drivers.