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Vermont is poised to become the 26th state to ban texting while driving, following closely behind Wisconsin and Michigan.

CHICAGO — Former Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner defended current Secretary Ray LaHood, telling tank truck executives here that recent pushes to promote rail and other modes of transportation at the expense of trucking were likely foisted upon him by the White House.

As you’ve heard it said many times, “Without Trucks, America Stops.” And it’s still true. Unfortunately, the trucking industry’s primary advocate has had to formally remind the Department of Transportation of this salient fact.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has broad support for its move to bar truck drivers from texting, according to public comments on the proposed rule filed with the agency.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Dealer executives bubbled with optimism as they exited their respective truck-brand meetings here at the American Truck Dealers conference.

Any commercial carrier accident involving personal injury or property damage has lawsuit potential, and the public is usually quick to blame the truck driver.

A shipper may hire a truck for any of a variety of reasons: Perhaps there is a long distance to cover or the load requires more space than available in the trunk of a car.

Review of the 2007 generation of diesel engines has been a very hot topic this year. At the annual American Trucking Associations Technology & Maintenance Council meeting, I was one of the panelists asked to score the performance of the 2007 engines based on TransAm’s experiences.

Thank you to our readers for the many favorable comments we’ve received in response to the special report on CSA 2010 that Transport Topics produced as part of the April 26 issue.

CINCINNATI — Concern about driver safety compliance is pushing the purchase of new technology to help fleet managers to see and respond to data on driver performance, manufacturers of the equipment said.