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A good rule of thumb is that you cannot appreciate truck drivers too much. But we’re convinced that expression of admiration for what America’s 3.5 million professional drivers accomplish on a daily basis carries a certain value.

The Transportation Security Administration for the first time has used a mobile X-ray machine capable of screening contents of large cargo containers to check trucks entering Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, the Associated Press reported.

Consumer confidence rose in August, as fuel prices fell as gasoline prices fell, the New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday.

The transportation industry is in a dangerous place, one where even well-known industry players such as Jevic Transportation, which closed its doors in May, and Jim Palmer Trucking, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, can go under — taking their employees with them.

New home sales rose in July from a 17-year low the previous month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Oil prices rose early Tuesday on concerns that newly formed Hurricane Gustav may be on track to move into the Gulf of Mexico, the Associated Press reported.

UPS Inc.’s less-than-truckload unit UPS Freight said Monday it has improved transit times on more than 1,200 traffic lanes in the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Existing homes sales rose 3.1% in July, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.

Dennis Shirar, a driver with Indianapolis-based Heritage Transport who has driven 3 million accident-free miles, was named the 2008 National Truck Driving Grand Champion, American Trucking Associations said.

Oil rose slightly in early trading Monday following a big drop Friday to below $115 a barrel, Bloomberg reported.