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After months of anticipation and concern, the trucking industry finally got a look last week at the federal government’s first proposal to regulate the fuel-efficiency and carbon-dioxide output of commercial trucks.

The top “take-aways” from the 2010 Management Conference & Exhibition last week seemed to be: Things are better than they were; things are not as good as they could be; and things are going to get even better.

As the trucking industry gathers in Phoenix for American Trucking Associations’ annual meeting, the national economic climate is much improved from the gloom that surrounded last October’s meeting in Las Vegas.

The latest economic reports continue to show steady growth in the domestic economy, and fleets are buying more tractors and ordering more trailers as freight levels now have exceeded year-ago levels for nine consecutive months.

Once a year — and it should be far more often — we pause in our busy lives to take notice of and show our appreciation for the everyday heroes who move our freight: the 3.4 million professional truck drivers who deliver the goods.

The trucking industry seems to operate primarily in a boom or bust cycle. Rarely, it seems, are things stable for very long.

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

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.