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Thank you for your March 21 cover story, “Vets Make Valuable Employees, Several Motor Carriers Report.” There is no greater testament to the value that our military veterans bring to our industry than from those carriers with firsthand experience attracting, hiring and supporting them as they develop careers in transportation.

The U.S. economy showed improvement from mid-February through early April, and reports from transportation services firms were mostly positive, the Federal Reserve said.

Truck traffic crossing the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, slipped 1.4% in March from a year ago, the company that runs the bridge said Tuesday.

American Trucking Associations Chairman Barbara Windsor told a House panel Wednesday that changes are needed to regulations governing hazardous materials shipments in order to improve efficiency and relieve unnecessary regulatory burdens.

The Commercial Vehicle Training Association presented its Highway Safety Hall of Fame Award to Warren Hoemann, senior vice president of industry affairs at American Trucking Associations.

Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) introduced a bill last week that would establish a database of drug testing information for truck and bus drivers.

The Texas House has given final approval to a bill that could raise the speed limit on some highways to 85 mph, the Associated Press reported.

Fueled by stronger manufacturing and demand for freight, the U.S. economy will grow at least at a 3.2% annual pace in 2011, and truck tonnage will rise 5%, according to several recent reports.

American Trucking Associations last week endorsed a federal proposal that trucking companies use electronic logging devices to monitor driver compliance with the hours-of-service rule.