Editorial

A total of 9,090 trucks were taken off the road due to fleet bankruptcies in the third quarter, a slight decline from the second quarter, as rising freight rates and falling fuel prices helped keep some marginal fleets afloat, Avondale Partners analyst Donald Broughton said.

Trucking’s leaders did not come up with any new policy directives at this year’s Management Conference & Exhibition, but considering the inability of the House, Senate and White House to agree on just about anything, there was probably no need.

We strive to interact directly with those who have the most influence on the trucking and freight transportation industry, so we thank Scott Darling III, acting chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for speaking with Transport Topics last week.

It’s been a busy and exciting couple of weeks in the trucking industry, which keeps moving ahead on several fronts.

A recent string of events leads to one large conclusion. We told you last month of truck drivers working diligently to get to Pittsburgh so they could compete for industry honors. Then there was Labor Day, followed quickly by National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

Railroads are in an enviable position: They have more customers wanting to move more products than the few national carriers can handle. But a shortfall of investment in track, in railcars and in train crews has produced critical delays that hurt large swaths of the national economy, from farmers to auto manufacturers to intermodal shippers.

Our reporters daily scour government and business sources for news to keep you fully informed about how actions on both fronts are affecting trucking and freight transportation.

Being held responsible for one’s actions is often not pleasant or convenient, but as any reasonable adult should admit, there is logic to that rule and following it usually makes the world a better place.

A hearty congratulations is in order for the all the competitors at the National Truck Driving Championships, and one gutsy trucker, whose recent heroics have been witnessed by more than 1 million people.

With Labor Day right around the corner, it means the summer of 2014 is rapidly drawing to a close.