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A few stories in this edition of Transport Topics illustrate quite well the current state of the national economy.

When the next freight transportation capacity shortage makes itself known, whether it’s in the second half of next year or at the start of 2012, no one should say they weren’t warned well in advance.

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.

The trucking industry received some of the best news possible last week, when the federal government announced that the number of fatalities in truck-involved crashes nosedived 20% during 2009.

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 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.

Despite occasional hyperventilation from advocacy groups and some politicians, trucking’s safety performance is steadily improving and the industry’s dedication to playing its part in keeping America’s highways safe should be unquestioned.

President Obama’s recent announcement that he was kicking off a major effort to improve the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles was welcome news to the trucking industry.

This Editorial appears in the May 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.