Halloween was only just a few weeks ago, and Thanksgiving is not quite here yet, but planning for Christmas in the nation’s capital is already well underway. And the trucking industry will play an even bigger part in bringing the official Christmas tree to Washington, D.C. this year than in year‘s past.

Nobody follows the fortunes of the freight industry more closely than investment analysts, so trucking executives were dismayed when this summer the venerable investment firm Stifel, Nicolaus & Co put out a report entitled The Story of Our General Lack of Love for the Truckload and Intermodal Stocks. The gist of the report was that depsite years of being “a cheerleader” for the trucking industry, the firm could not recommend a single trucking stock.

6. Communication. This is not just what is said or heard. You need to maintain a paper trail on all aspects of your trucking business. If it’s said and it’s important, write it down: who you talked with, when you talked with them, what was said by all parties, what was the final agreement, and if it’s extremely important, have everyone sign the document. Just because it’s spoken doesn’t mean it will be remembered. Don’t assume everyone is on top of any situation.

We recently talked about using auxiliary power units (APU’s) to power up small appliances on board your truck. Now, what should you buy to fill up your mini-refrigerator or zap in your microwave so eating on the go is not only convenient, but also inexpensive and tasty?

When we think of a trick, we think of pranks we played on unsuspecting individuals when we were young (or maybe it’s something we pulled yesterday), but the context in which we want to talk about ‘Tricks’ here is techniques or actions that can improve a person’s life. Trucking tricks are kept under wraps because of the solitary nature of the business—a trucker is provided with a truck, a set of keys, a product or item to haul, a place to load and a location where he needs to deliver the load. All of this creates an atmosphere where sharing knowledge with others is limited.

Signs are showing that highways are getting a little safer: Transportation-related fatalities have fallen for the third consecutive year, according to preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Obama Administration will reconsider the current hours-of-service rule that allows long haul drivers to drive for up to 11 hours straight.

Have you ever been driving for what seems like an eternity, and you stop at a rest stop for a break, get out your truck, grab your back, and make an “Uhnnnhhh!” noise? That’s the sound of you not limbering up enough for your long hauls.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched a pilot program aimed at trying to interest more women in transportation-related careers, specifically in the areas of science, engineering, and technology.

It would be great if you could keep going, and going, and never stop to eat, wouldn‘t it? You‘d certainly get to your destination with your load well on schedule. But, alas, eating is important. Yet sometimes, even if you wanted to pull over at the nearest exit to grab some grub, that’s not just possible. You might be out in the middle of no where with no convenience stores or “fast casual” restaurants around. So what can you do?