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ATLANTA — T. Boone Pickens renewed his call to convert the nation’s 8 million heavy-duty trucks from diesel fuel to domestically produced natural gas and criticized leaders from both major political parties for not having the “guts” to pass legislation providing tax incentives to help buyers cover the higher cost of the trucks.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in September, the lowest since January 2009, from 8.1% in August as employers added 114,000 people to payrolls including 700 in the trucking industry, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Trucking industry leaders will gather this week at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to discuss recent accomplishments and prepare for the challenges of the upcoming year.

American Trucking Associations unveiled several spotlight events of its 2012 Management Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas.

This is in reference to your Sept. 17 issue story about the proposed 85 mph speed limit for 41 miles of State Highway 130 in Texas (p. 3).

As an industry as connected to the highways as trucking, we know an awful lot about roads. We know about smooth roads — those that are easy to traverse, the ones where you can feel the wind at your back and the sun on your face.

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.

The Surface Transportation Board on Sept. 27 outlined a new process for determining whether rail freight rates charged to shippers are excessive, and the new process could increase the number of cases before the agency.

A bill Congress passed last month would open more job opportunities for veterans by allowing members of the military to obtain commercial driver licenses in the states where they’re stationed, even if they are away from home, the bill’s supporters said.